Relationships
by beforethestorm.88
Summary: A series of connected one-shots about Kensi and Deeks' recent engagement and the craziness that will follow them and their loved ones as they make their way towards being a married couple. It might help to first read "Fish" and "First Date".
1. Frozen Yogurt

_**Relationships**_

Summary: A series of one-shots involving the Densi relationship. Also, the team and their friends will make appearances. It might help to first read "Fish" and "First Date".

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: LA, Titanic or Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. I own Catherine and any other original characters that might appear. Enjoy!

**Frozen Yogurt**

If there was one thing that Kensi Blye thought was awesome, it was frozen yogurt. Especially if it was from Menchie's, she was convinced that the yogurt was made in heaven, and somehow found its way down to earth. Standing by the yogurt bar, she added swirls of peanut butter, chocolate, red-velvet and cake-batter flavored yogurt into her cup. She then proceeded to add a rather large amount of brownie bits as her topping, and walked over to the cash register to pay. The girl working swiped her points card and handed Kensi her change, which Kensi threw into the tip jar. The girl thanked her profusely and Kensi went to her table to sit. Yes, she did love that yogurt. But she loved _him_ more. She hadn't told Marty Deeks that yet, slightly nervous to do so, old rejection and abandonment issues bubbling to the surface. But she _knew_ that she was in love with him. And currently, said man that she was head over heels for, was holding his head in pain, an unfortunate consequence of eating the cold treat too fast.

"Kensi," he whined, "my head hurts, make it stop."

"It's your own fault, I told you at least twenty times that eating frozen food too fast give you brain freeze." Kensi said, without looking up from her frozen yogurt.

"Yeah, you told me. Heck, Katie gave me this lecture once about which nerve is stimulated when you eat cold. It was the trigeminal nerve or something like that? She was studying for her anatomy final and would talk anyone's ear off about the human body that would listen. Or even _not_ listen, come to think of it." Deeks explained, slowly recovering from the pain.

"How is Katie?" Kensi asked. She had taken to referring to Deeks' pseudo kid sister as Katie when she was not around. Catherine really was a mouthful when she stopped to think about it.

"She's good," he replied, "she was going absolutely insane over her microbiology exam the other day. Saying that if she had to memorize one more viral-based disease she was going to _actually_ lose her mind. I'm not concerned, she said that all throughout first year. Anyway, what to get out of here?"

"I'm not done my yogurt yet." Kensi responded, looking at Deeks as though she was sure he lost _his_ mind.

"My mistake," Deeks smirked, "one does not separate the Queen from her yogurt."

"Damn straight." Kensi grinned.

LALALA

About thirty minutes later, Kensi was done her frozen yogurt. She looked up to ask Deeks a question, when she realized that he had falling asleep in his chair. Slyly grinning to herself, Kensi quietly got up and made her way to the cash register. Seeing that the same girl from before was manning the cash, she thought she'd try her luck. "Excuse me? My boyfriend over there fell asleep because he doesn't understand the joys of frozen yogurt. Could I possibly borrow a few toppings and pull a prank on him?"

"Go for it," she replied, "my boyfriend once fell asleep during _Titanic_. I dyed his hair blue."

"Nice." Kensi smiled, high-fiving the girl.

Returning back to their table, Kensi carefully placed a line of chocolate bits across Deeks' forehead, alternating between white and black. She then got some strawberry sauce and dabbed it on his nose, giving him the appearance of a clown. Smiling to herself, she quickly snapped a picture on her phone and sat down. A few minutes later, a few chocolate pieces rolled into Deeks' mouth and he snapped awake. "What's going on?" he muttered, clearly confused at this recent turn of events.

"You fell asleep, I thought I'd have some fun." Kensi responded, showing him the picture.

"I'm _so_ going to get you back, Fern." Deeks said.

"You're going to get _me_ back?" Kensi questioned, pulling in Deeks for a long kiss. "Are you sure about that?" she mumbled against his lips.

"Well maybe not right away…" he trailed off, looking dazed.

"Good answer." Kensi whispered, kissing him once more.

LALALA

Hi everyone! So here we go, the first of my Densi-related one-shots. For now, updates have been fairly common as I have break. However, school starts up again next week, so from then on updates will be weekly. I want to thank you all again for your kind reviews, they really encourage me to be inspired and write these stories.


	2. Stars

**Stars**

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: LA or America's Next Top Model. All original characters are mine. Enjoy!

When he was a little kid, Marty Deeks would often wish on a star. He would wish that his Dad would stop hurting him and his Mom. He wished that he could be happy. He wished that he could have a normal family. And, most importantly, he wished that he could know true _love_. Granted, his mother did try, but she was too involved in keeping Marty safe from his Dad. So when Marty met Kensi, he realized that his wish came true. It was just later than he expected. He couldn't help but think about those days long ago as he lay on the beach, hands intertwined with Kensi's, staring at the night sky peppered with stars.

"What're you thinking about?" Kensi asked.

"About how wishes on stars really do come true. I wished for love: I met you." Deeks answered.

"Don't be a sap." Kensi laughed, as she jokingly hit him in the arm.

"I could arrest you for that you know. You assaulted a member of LAPD." Deeks grinned, staring into her eyes.

"So arrest me. I'll be at your mercy." Kensi answered slyly, lightly tracing circles on his chest.

"Maybe next time. I want to show you something." Deeks said, holding out his hand, and helping Kensi up.

LALALA

"Why am I _always_ blindfolded? If it's not Katie, it's you. I would still act surprised if I could see where we were going." Kensi muttered.

"Because I said so, Fern, that's why." Deeks replied as he stopped the car. He got out of the car, and opened the door for Kensi, who blindly got out, cursing as she went.

"Okay, here we go." Deeks said as he pulled off the blindfold.

"Deeks, this is your apartment. I've been here before." Kensi stated, utterly confused at their current location.

"There's a reason that we're here. Come on inside, Monty will be thrilled to see you." Deeks smiled, taking her by the hand and leading her towards the door.

Once inside Monty immediately came running towards the couple. Kensi dropped to her knees and absentmindedly scratched the dog behind the ears. She always liked Deeks' apartment. It was clean and well put together. He had a cream and light blue color scheme throughout the apartment, similar to the beach and the ocean. She walked into his kitchen, picked up a cookie and munching it, followed Deeks towards his living room. He was bent over a set of drawers, digging for something apparently. Sensing that it could take a while, she turned the TV on, and began to watch America's Next Top Model.

"Really again?" Deeks questioned without even turning around.

"I'm not going to explain this again. It's a great show. That's all." Kensi answered, playing with the blue fibers of the blanket that was on the couch.

After what seemed like hours, Deeks finally turned around, holding something in his hand. He beckoned Kensi over and opened his palm. Resting there was a clay sculpture of a star painted with silver, about the size of a baseball. The designs on the sculpture were intricate and detailed, with ribbons and various shapes engrained throughout.

"It's beautiful Deeks," Kensi whispered, admiring the piece of artwork, "where did you get it?"

"I made it. In high school, I had to take an arts credit. I didn't have much of a singing voice, so I tried my hand at art. I really enjoyed the class, and, as it turned out, I was a decent sculptor. This was my end of the year project, got on A on it." Deeks grinned.

"So that's why you decided to make Justin an artist." Kensi murmured, still caught up in the star's beauty.

"Well I wouldn't have had to work hard to impress anyone with my knowledge, that's for sure. But that's not why I wanted to show this star to you. I want you to have it. It's brilliant, bright and completely unique, just like you." Deeks said his blue eyes locked onto Kensi's.

He expected a lot of things, but for Kensi Blye to burst into tears was _not_ one of them. Flinging her arms around him, she locked him into a fierce hug. Not really knowing how to proceed, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Minutes later, after they pulled apart and Kensi pulled herself together, he placed the star in her hand.

"Thank you Deeks," she told her boyfriend, "I'll treasure it forever."

"Really? Forever? That's a long time." Deeks teased, playing with her brown curls.

"It's worth it, if it's with you." Kensi replied smiling broadly.

LALALA

Hope you all enjoyed this second one-shot. I have a number of ideas where to take these stories. Thank you all again for your kind reviews, they keep me going.


	3. Hospital

**Hospital**

Disclaimer: same as always. I don't own NCIS: LA but I do own my original characters. Onwards!

Marty Deeks did not like hospitals. He just didn't. He tolerated them well enough, he understood their purpose in saving humans lives, but he wasn't about to join an "I love hospitals" group. That being said, he could not believe that he had broken a rib on his right side, jumping off that second floor balcony. But the suspect was getting away, and had taken Kensi hostage. Just that simple fact had a normally fun-loving Deeks seeing red. And so, he jumped, landed the wrong way, apprehended the suspect and saved Kensi: all in the day's work. However, he was now currently sitting in the ER, waiting to be seen by a doctor. Kensi, who was completely exhausted by the day's events, was sleeping on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Deeks? Dr. Thomas informed me that he has some students with him. Is it alright if they assist in the examination?" a blonde nurse asked.

"Yeah," Deeks replied, slightly wincing at the pain in his side, "that's totally fine."

Smiling, the nurse walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Deeks turned his head and watched as Kensi softly breathed in and out. As he brushed a stray piece of hair from her forehead, she woke up.

"I'm sorry I woke you." Deeks whispered.

"It's no problem at all," Kensi yawned, stretching her muscles out "so what's happening?"

"The nurse said that the doctor would be coming soon. He has some students with him apparently." Deeks said.

"You know what would be absolutely hilarious?" Kensi began, "If one of those students was K-."

The door opened, effectively cutting her short. The doctor, who was about sixty, with graying hair and kind green eyes, walked in. Following him were about ten medical students, in their white coats and stethoscopes around their necks. The girls' eyes immediately went wide at the sight of Deeks, who had enough sense to look at Kensi apologetically. The final student closed the door, turned around and looked completely shocked.

"Marty?" Catherine questioned, "What happened?"

"Miss Rivers? Do you know this patient?" Dr. Thomas asked.

"Yes sir," she responded, "he's one of my oldest friends."

"Well my dear, then this will be, how to put it lightly, awkward." The doctor stated, looking at Deeks' chart.

"Sir?" Catherine inquired, now looking at her supervisor as though he was from Mars.

"It's your turn to conduct a patient examination. And lucky for you, this is thoracic based injury. You haven't dealt with one of those yet on your rounds have you?" the doctor voiced, looking as though he was thoroughly enjoying the situation.

"No sir," Catherine affirmed, now looking as though a trip to Mars didn't seem like a bad idea "I haven't."

"Wonderful, carry on. If you have any questions, feel free to ask myself or your fellow students." Dr. Thomas stated as he sat down.

Catherine seemed at a loss for words. Looking towards Kensi, she mouthed a quick apology. Kensi, on the other, completely waved her apology aside and focused on staring down Katie's friends, who were ogling Deeks like a piece of meat.

"Can you tell me what happened please?" Catherine began, pen at the ready, bedside manner perfect.

As Deeks explained the cause of his accident, he was astounded at how _grown up_ Katie appeared. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a slight hint of brown eyeliner could be seen around the edges of her blue eyes. But it wasn't the make up; it was the white coat and stethoscope. She looked the part of a doctor, and, if he was being honest, that terrified him. She didn't need him like she used to. She didn't need him to babysit her, or hold her hand as they crossed the street.

"Could you sit forward please? I'd like to listen to you lungs, if that's alright?" Katie said, placing the stethoscope's ear buds into her ears.

He sat straight and tried to breath deeply but failed miserably, as pain shot through his body. Katie's expert fingers carefully pressed on the injured area and he grimaced in pain.

"Sorry," she whispered, as she began to listen to heart after her examination of his lungs.

Once she seemed satisfied, Katie turned away from him and looked at her supervisor. "The patient broke his fifth rib at its most prominent curve the right side. I do not believe that it punctured the lungs, heart or pleural cavity. His breath sounds appear unremarkable. I would request a chest X-ray and computer topography to make sure that everything is clear. Lastly, I would prescribe a painkiller to make his breathing easier."

"Excellent, Miss Rivers." Dr. Thomas congratulated, and Katie beamed with pride. Speaking to Kensi and Deeks, he said, "Diagnostics is on the third floor. I'll call them now and place a rush order on your exams so you can get out of here."

"Thank you," the couple responded, as the doctor lead his students out the door.

"Seriously Catherine, how hot is he? And you got to examine him. And you _know_ him." one of Katie's friends loudly said as the door closed.

"I'm all kinds of sexy, even the students know it." Deeks grinned.

"I think you'll make a full recovery." Kensi replied, rolling her eyes as she helped him into the wheelchair.

LALALA

During his diagnostic exams, Kensi went down to the vending machine to get a chocolate bar. However, the requested chocolate bar was snuck and no amount of kicking was getting in out.

"You have to hit the upper left corner." Katie said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Thanks," Kensi replied, as she hit the machine and got her treat, "listen you were really great back there. And you examined Marty so carefully, despite the personal connection."

"Yeah it was a bit awkward," Katie said sheepishly, "but these things happen. He's always shirtless when we're surfing, so it's not that. It's just, touching him so intimately, as a doctor, it's a little odd to me. He always took care of me as a child, and it was it was uncomfortable, in a sense, that now it was the other way around. I felt as though I was violating some unwritten rule that he was my protector."

"I'm sure that he didn't think that. And personally, I'm glad it was you and not one of your friends, no offense." Kensi responded.

"None taken," Katie stated airily, "they get like that sometimes. I know I had all kinds of awkward plastered on my face. But I wasn't about to flat out _say_ it."

"You'll be a great doctor one day, Catherine." Kensi whispered, bringing in the girl for a hug.

LALALA

A little different than before, but I thought it'd be fun to play with the Katie/Deeks and Katie/Kensi relationship. I hope that I didn't use too much medical terminology there; I sometimes get caught up in it. I decided to base Katie's education on my own, the joys of being a medical student. Thank you again for your reviews.


	4. Candlelight

**Candlelight**

Disclaimer: Don't own NCIS: LA, do own my own characters.

Kensi Blye had a soft spot for candlelight. Maybe it was because her Dad would always light the most _amazing_ fires ever, during their camping trips. Or maybe it was because of the smores that followed the production of said fires. Either way, she loved candlelight. Currently, she was lying across her couch, watching the candlelight dance across her living room. The star that Deeks gave her was sitting in the center of her living room table. She had even cleaned up, knowing full well that Deeks would complain the _second_ he walked in about the mess. He had some sort of date night surprise, _again_, and he didn't want to tell her what it was; so basically, old news. She was snapped out of her thoughts as her cell phone rang in the kitchen.

"Hello?" Kensi answered.

"Hey Kensi," Nell greeted, "what's up?"

"Not much, just waiting for Deeks to come over." Kensi said, playing with a loose curl, "How're you?"

"I'm good," Nell began, "I have a question actually."

"Shoot." Kensi stated, moving back to her couch.

"I don't know what to do. Because I'm sure that I like _him_. But I'm terrified to go there. What if it doesn't work out? What happens if it gets so awkward that everyone has to pick sides? What if he decides one day that there is someone better out there?" Nell ranted.

"That's like three questions, Nell." Kensi smirked.

"Shut up, you know what I mean. How did you know it was right with Deeks?" Nell asked.

"Well basically, I just didn't let fear rule me anymore. I threw caution to the wind. And it worked out amazingly. Don't let yourself be afraid, Nell. And I know for a _fact_ that Eric feels the same way." Kensi told her.

"Is it _that_ obvious?" Nell questioned.

"About as obvious as Sam kicking Deeks' ass in wrestling. He's my boyfriend, but it's true." Kensi stated, completely deadpanned.

"Thanks Kensi. Have a good night." Nell said.

"You too." Kensi replied before hanging up and running to the door, hearing Deeks knocking.

"Evening Princess," he greeted, pulling her in for a kiss, "I bring you Titanic, on Blu-Ray. Furthermore, I also have in this bag, a diabetic's nightmare: chocolate, donuts, cupcakes, etc. No frozen yogurt though because of past experiences. And I obviously have myself. Enjoy."

"You're amazing." Kensi replied, as she popped the movie in.

LALALA

After the movie had ended, and Kensi stopped bawling and cursing out Rose for totally hogging the raft, Deeks noticed that her eyes were fixated on the flickering candlelight.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

After a few seconds, she replied, "There's something _magical_ about candlelight. It offers hope to those who have none. It symbolizes peace, a better world. It feels like everything is going to work out. Like humanity has a fighting chance. You know what I mean?"

"I do, actually. Because that's the same way I feel about stars. You and I, Kensi, we're a lot alike. Both come from broken homes, both fought to get to where we are, both believe in the idea of pure happiness." Deeks whispered.

"You're rather philosophical, you know that?" she laughed.

"Occasionally, when the moment warrants it." Deeks said, kissing her forehead and staring into her eyes. This was the _perfect_ moment, he realized, and he was going to say it. "I love you, Kensi."

"I love you too, Deeks." Kensi answered, kissing him. She privately added another reason to her love of candlelight: an admission of love from the man that she loved beyond all telling.

LALALA

Hello! So they said "I love you"! I thought it was a good time. I didn't want to it too rushed, and appear in the first chapter. But I also didn't want it to drag on forever. Also threw in some NERIC because I think those two are adorable together. All your reviews are much appreciated! Tell you friends, tell your friends' friends. I love to your input. I have some ideas at the ready but if you guys give me a word, I'll try to make a story out of it. Also- to jmlane- excellent idea about Katie's family!

PS. From now all updates will be weekly!


	5. Valentine's Day

**Valentine's Day**

Disclaimer and Character Ownership: same as always, see previous updates

Callen considered himself to be a rather patient man. In fact, he was _sure_ that the only other member of the OSP team that rivaled his patience was Hetty. And Sam. Maybe. Either way, he patience was wearing quite thin at the current sight before him. Deeks, obviously wanting to make this the best Valentine's Day ever for Kensi, was systematically arranging chocolate cupcakes to spell out "I love you" across her desk. The detective had also placed a huge bouquet of a dozen red roses on Kensi's chair.

"Deeks! You've moved that cupcake over five times now. The 'I' still looks like an 'I' it hasn't changed its shape in recent history." Callen said, looking over at Sam with a bemused expression.

"You guys don't get it," the blond man answered, "this _needs_ to be perfect. It's our first Valentine's Day as a couple. If this doesn't go perfectly, Kensi might shoot me. Or do some crazy ninja kick-ass move that might leave me paralyzed. Permanently."

"Deeks," Sam interjected, "it doesn't need to be _perfect_. It needs to be about you two together as a couple. Once you know it's about that, the rest will follow."

Rolling his eyes, Deeks replied, "Have you met Kensi?"

"Fair point," Sam sighed.

A familiar set of footsteps heralded Kensi's arrival, sending Deeks into a full-on state of panic regarding that _one_ cupcake. He just fixed its position when Kensi appeared behind him, a confused look painted across her face. Her eyes flashed to the cupcakes on her desk, the flowers on her chair and a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you Deeks! Happy Valentine's Day!" Kensi said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"It's no problem, Fern. Happy Valentine's Day." he murmured against her hair.

"Guys, I think it's great you're _finally_ together, but can we keep the affection to a minimum at work?" Callen stated blue eyes lit with laughter.

Pulling away from Deeks, Kensi looked at Callen with a look that clearly said: If you ruin this moment for me, I'll hurt you.

"Please do not resort to violence Miss Blye, it is hardly necessary." Hetty voiced, walking up the stairs across the room.

"How did she possibly see that look from all the way over there?" Deeks asked.

"It's Hetty," Kensi said, as if that answered every possible question, and followed her boss up the stairs.

LALALA

Meanwhile upstairs, Nell was trying to avoid a full-on state of panic as well. Today was the day she was going to tell Eric. It could either go very well, or blow up in her face. But Nell was determined to look her fear in the face and laugh. Well, smirk, at the very least. She smoothed out her dark pink shirt and sat down at the keyboard, waiting for Eric's arrival. Roughly two minutes later, she couldn't take the stress of waiting and began to read up on political tensions in South America. She was just about to finish her article when her line of vision was blocked by a white teddy bear, holding a heart. She looked up and saw Eric sheepishly holding the toy, a smile on his face.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Nell." Eric said, "I hope you like the bear. I thought he was cute. Would you like to be my date tonight?"

Nell was at a loss for words, it was as though her brain how just stopped functioning. Speak, she commanded herself. But no words came out. And Eric's smile was beginning to fall from his face, a look of rejection replacing it.

"I'd love to be your date." Nell said, smiling words _finally_ making their appearance, "I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to be _my_ date. But clearly, you beat me to the punch."

"What's going on?" Deeks asked as the team made their appearance in OPS.

"Nothing, just sorting out some old issues." Nell responded, as she placed the bear beside her computer screen.

LALALA

It being Valentine's Day, Hetty, feeling slightly sentimental, allowed the team to take a longer lunch. Following Nell's cue, Kensi raced out of the building towards the redhead's car, leaving Deeks tending to the aquarium.

"Victoria's Secret. You and I. We're leaving now." Nell stated as she turned the car on and drove out of the parking lot.

"Really? On the first date?" Kensi grinned, thrilled that Nell and Eric were going out.

"Well maybe not the _first_. But I'd like some options for the future." Nell answered as she turned a corner.

The two women ended up at the mall in record time, Nell effectively cutting off another shopper for a parking spot by the entrance. Ignoring the driver's yells, the two walked inside. The mall was decorated with red and pink hearts and miniature Cupids. The two walked towards Victoria's Secret and were immediately bombarded with perfume. They expertly navigated their way through the store, looking for lingerie. Kensi had come across a black lace nighty with silk trim. Imagining Deeks' face when she came out wearing it, she threw it into her shopping bed. Nell met her at the cash, holding up a matching set of red lace bra and panties, smirking as she paid the girl.

"Perfume?" Kensi asked Nell as they left the store.

"Excellent idea," Nell replied, and the pair walked into Macy's.

Kensi immediately walked to the Chanel counter, and signaled the saleswoman for Chanel No. 5. Looking at her watch, she realized that they had about 20 minutes to get back to OSP. Sending Nell a quick text that she would meet her by the entrance, Kensi paid and left.

"What perfume did you get?" Kensi questioned as they walked to the car.

"Calvin Klein: Obsession." Nell grinned slyly as they placed their purchases in the back seat.

LALALA

Hours later, after the team had been dismissed by Hetty, Deeks was on his way to pick up Kensi for dinner at The Boulevard. In a way, he was utterly shocked that she picked him. She _wanted_ him to be in her life. She _loved _him. His musings were cut short by the ringing of his cell, looking down, he grinned as Katie's picture filled the display.

"Happy Valentine's Day Katie!" Deeks said.

"You too Marty." Catherine replied, not bothering to correct him about her name, "I just wanted to wish you a good time tonight."

"Thanks, Katie. What're you doing?" Marty asked her.

"I'm going a date, with a guy in my program. I've spoken to him before briefly but not much came from it. But then, we were placed in the same group for Neurobiology rotation. Anyway, he asked me out and I said yes." Catherine responded.

"What's his name?" Deeks inquired, pulling into Kensi's driveway.

"Wyatt Beale." Catherine stated.

"Beale? His last name is Beale?" Deeks all but yelled into the phone.

"Is that a problem somehow?" Catherine muttered into the phone, closing the apartment door behind her.

"Nope, not in the slightest. Have fun Katie, love you." Deeks declared as he hung up. He was going to have some choice words with Eric, and soon.

He knocked on Kensi's door and smoothed out his tie. When she answered the door, he was sure he was in heaven. She was in lingerie. And it was all kinds of awesome.

"Shall we be a tad late for our reservation?" Kensi whispered against his eyes.

"Yes, yes and a thousand more times yes." Deeks shouted, closing the door behind him,

LALALA

Hello! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I thought that the story would be cute. And finally Nell and Eric are going to give it a go. Also, watch out for future appearances by Wyatt! Reviews are appreciated! Next update: next Friday. If everyone could please wish me luck on my pathology exam- I'd really appreciate it


	6. Sick

**Sick**

Disclaimer: see previous chapters . And off we go! Here's an early update for the weekend, as I wanted to post this early. So, the next update is on the 22nd. Enjoy!

Kensi Blye could argue that there was no worse feeling the world than being sick. Well, maybe being shot. She hated the congestion, she hated the sneezing, she hated the coughing and she hated that she would wake up at night and not be able to sleep. So all in all, she was _incredibly_ miserable throughout the past few days. Although, it was rather cloudy and rainy in Los Angeles, so perhaps the weather was just as upset that she was sick. She was lying on the couch watching Titanic for conceivably the thousandth when her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she croaked, wincing at the sound of her own voice.

"Hey Princess," Deeks replied, "how're you feeling?"

"Well, Deeks, I'm not going to lie to you. I feel awful. I also do not enjoy being locked up in my apartment, I think the walls are starting to close in on me." Kensi whispered, pain shooting through her throat.

"Did you overdose on cough syrup Fern? If you possibly did, I'll call Poison Control for you, or Katie. Yeah, I'll call Katie first, maybe she'll be around, if not I'll call Poison Control and-."

"Deeks!" Kensi attempted to yell, and the sound of her voice silenced his rant. "I'm ok, I just mean that you guys are on a case and I'm just lonely being here by myself for the past few days."

"It'll clear up soon Kensi, and then you'll be my bad-ass ninja again." Deeks said, "I'll even let you beat me in sparring."

"As if you ever let _me_ beat you at sparring." Kensi responded sarcastically to her boyfriend.

"There's that Kensi spirit I know and love." Deeks smiled, "But listen, I have to go, Callen is staring at me with a look of pure anger. I think he'll start to burn holes through my head, so I better hang up. I'll call you later. I love you."

"I love you too." Kensi said as she hung up and settled in between the cushions of her couch.

LALALA

Hours later, Deeks, Callen and Sam had returned from their mission. Tired, bruised and nursing a somewhat sprained ankle, Deeks fell into his chair. "Alright gentlemen," he began a few minutes later, "Kensi is sick and it's our civic and federal duty to help her feel better."

"Deeks, I'm pretty sure that line of work falls under _your_ umbrella of responsibilities. Last time I checked, I wasn't dating Kensi." Callen replied, flicking through cold case files.

"Sam?" the detective questioned, blue eyes gleaming.

"What exactly does this entail? Because I suppose I could offer some assistance. I mean, my wife and kids are at my in-laws' for the next few days." Sam told him, blatantly ignoring Callen's look of utter disbelief.

"That's what I like to hear. Eric! Nell! You guys are helping as well." Deeks stated happily to the two as they descended down the stairs.

"What exactly are we helping with?" Eric questioned, wary of the other man's ideas and schemes.

"Operation: Help Kensi feel better because she's been sick for days." Densi said.

"That is a rather long name for a mission, Mr. Deeks. Might I suggest shortening it?" Hetty declared, appearing behind the group as if by magic.

"Okay so what _exactly_ is the plan? I'm outnumbered as it is." Callen asked, closing the files.

"I'm so glad you asked." Deeks answered and began to tell the team his plan.

LALALA

Kensi awoke and was sure that her fever had increased exponentially. Either that, or she was severely dehydrated. Standing in her apartment was Deeks, dressed as Jack Dawson in Titanic. To his left and right, was the team all dressed in period clothing from the early 20th century.

"What the hell is going on?" she questioned, fearful of her boyfriend's sanity.

"It's quite simple," the surfer replied, "I know you love Titanic, so I've decided to bring Titanic to you. It'll help you feel better, I promise."

"This outfit is too constricting and uptight," Eric muttered, "I miss my broad shorts and flip flops."

"You can sacrifice your normal clothes for _one_ evening." Nell chastised, rolling her eyes at him.

"And now," Deeks began, ignoring the bickering, "where to Miss?"

"To the stars." Kensi whispered, quoting the movie.

"I'm never helping Deeks again." Sam grumbled as he and Callen went over to the kitchen to prepare Kensi some chicken noodle soup and tea.

LALALA

Later that evening, after the team had departed, Deeks and Kensi were lying on the couch. Kensi had fallen asleep on Deeks' chest and he was absentmindedly stroking her hair. As he watched her breath in and out, he noticed that the color had returned to her cheeks. Feeling her forehead, he noted that he fever had decreased. Taking this as a positive sign, he carefully stood up and began to tidy up the living room.

"You don't have to do that." Kensi softly said from the couch.

"I don't mind." Deeks called from the kitchen, washing the dirty plates.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" Kensi asked as she snuggled under the blanket.

"No, you are." Deeks stated.

"I'm not going to argue with you today. Tomorrow perhaps." Kensi smiled.

"I'll do anything for you Fern. You jump, I jump." Deeks replied, washing the last dish, walking over to her.

"You're the king of my world." Kensi mumbled sleepily, closing her eyes.

"And you're the queen of mine," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

LALALA

Hi guys! I thought that a cute little story like this was needed. I wanted the whole team trying to help out a sick Kensi. Up next: Nightmares. Please read and review. I love reading your comments!

PS. I don't own Titanic or the quotes from it .


	7. Nightmare

**Nightmare**

Disclaimer and character ownership: same as always

"Deeks! Deeks! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please come back. Don't leave me…Please…Don't leave me." Kensi screamed, her throat going raw at the overuse of her voice. He continued to walk away, something he _promised_ he would never do. And he was leaving her utterly broken. Kensi didn't understand what happened, everything was going well. It completely was perfect; _they _were perfect. Falling down onto her chair she found herself at the beach. The sky was painted red with the fading light of the setting sun. Kensi felt hot tears running down her cheeks and her body was shaking in pain. It was as if a hole was gaping through her chest. She had only felt this type of crushing pain once: when her father died. And now it was happening all over again.

"Really, Kensi, why the tears? You knew that this would happen," a voice stated.

"Dad?" Kensi questioned, eyes blurry through her tears.

"Everyone _always_ leaves you Kensi, like clockwork. You're better off alone." Her father, no Callen, no Sam, Nell, Eric, Deeks, and Hetty said. All their faces distorted together, revealing the awful truth to her. She was alone. She would die alone. She was nothing.

"Kensi! Kensi! Wake up!" a voice begged.

Kensi's eyes snapped opened and she sat upright. Her body was covered in a cold sweat and tears were running down her face. In the dim moonlight she saw _his_ face alight with concern and worry. She got out of her bed, not saying a word, and made her way to the kitchen. She flicked the lights on and was momentarily blinded by the bright light. Kensi was about to open the fridge door when a hand shot out in front of her, effectively cutting her off.

"What is going on Kensi?" Deeks asked her.

Shaking her head, Kensi made her way to the couch, staring through the TV, the nightmare still vivid in her mind. She heard Deeks patter through the kitchen, heating up a cup of milk. She felt his weight at the other end of the couch but did not look up, the nightmare repeating over and over like some twisted horror movie.

"Please, Princess, tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on in that pretty head of yours." Deeks whispered, tracing circles across her hand.

"I had a nightmare." Kensi stated, staring at the TV as though she was trying to telepathically blow it up.

"And?" Deeks prompted, now placing the warm cup in her hands.

She took a sip of the warm milk; it was soothing, comforting. Trying to pull herself together, she began to speak. She explained every detail, excluding the very end where she knew that she was nothing. Towards the end of the tale, she dissolved into tears, leaving Deeks to gather her into his arm and gently rock her back and forth. He tired to cox her to talk, but she was lost in her own hysterics. Eventually Kensi's breathing evened out and she fell asleep. Deeks held her as she slept, wondering what possibly could have triggered a dream like that. Their relationship was going well, work was going well, everything was great. Sighing to himself, he sifted to a move comfortable position on the couch, and fell asleep.

LALALA

When Deeks awoke on Saturday morning, he saw that the couch was empty, that and the entire apartment. Which meant that Kensi was avoiding him, hoping to solve everything on her own without getting other's involvement. Classic Kensi Blye. He couldn't get through to her last night, and that scared him. A lot. Shaking his head, he walked to the bathroom. After a quick shower he made some toast for breakfast. He called her cell phone but the call immediately went towards voicemail. Thinking that a surfing session would clear his mind, he made his way to his car and drove to the beach. While driving, he kept obsessively checking his phone, willing it to call. After about half an hour of horrendous LA traffic, he pulled up at Venice Beach. There was something about the Pacific Ocean that always gave him a sense of peace; he belonged on the beach, in the surf, at _one_ with nature. Perhaps Hetty's exotic teas were getting to him, he thought, shaking his head as he ran towards the water.

"Marty," a voice called, stopping him in his tracks.

Turning around, a smile graced his features. He threw his surfboard in the sand and ran headlong towards Katie. "Katie, it's amazing to see you." Deeks whispered as he hugged the girl tightly.

Catherine did not know what to do with the current situation before her. She had never seen Marty this _sad_ ever. Not even when he told stories about his Dad, not when he came back from long undercover missions, and not when he had that rib injury. Pulling away from him, she took a long look at his face. It wasn't sadness that was breaking him emotionally. He was _lost_, with nowhere to turn. "Would you like to talk?" Catherine asked him, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, that'd be great actually." Deeks told her and they both sat down in the sand. Katie wrapped a dark blue towel around her herself, covering up the striped purple and turquoise bikini she was wearing. She pulled her long hair back, and fixed Deeks with a look that that was pure Katie: love, loyalty and a fierce compassion to help her loved ones. Deeks told the brunette about Kensi's nightmare and his total inability to get through to her. It was as if she just completely shut down. Like she was telling him about the dream because that's what he wanted to hear. Deeks was secretly terrified that Kensi would retreat so far into herself that she would just become a shell of a person, living just to pass time. He was terrified that Kensi would become his mother: not living life, not embracing it, not being thankful for it and the amazing gifts it offers.

"Marty! Hey, Marty! Focus on me for a second." Katie said, pulling him out of his trance.

"The way I see it, you have two choices. One, you leave Kensi alone and let her figure it all out herself. Two, you go find her and get her to open up to you. Mind you, she probably doesn't _want_ to be found. Kensi wants to protect you from this and not drag you down into her problems. But I know _you_. You want to find her and help her. Because that's the kind of person you are. You got through to me when I was going through that hell in prep school. And I didn't make it easy, I didn't want help, I wanted to be alone. I wanted to hide away from everyone and everything. Kensi feels the same way. Although, granted, I feel as though her reason from hiding is different than mine. She wasn't the class punching bag for seven straight years…" Katie abruptly stopped talking, a glazed look falling over her eyes and silence came between the pair. Deeks knew what she was seeing: mean girls bullying her, ignoring her, talking about her behind her back. And all that drove her to an eating disorder. Katie was always trim but she dropped so much weight in that time that her face was a sickly, shunken white, her bones jutting out and her eyes lifeless. Trying to shake those memories out of his head, he pulled Katie into a side-hug and whispered into her ear, "It's ok to feel like that Katie. Doctors need to feel pain as well. You can't be Superwoman all the time."

"I know," she replied, still lost in her haunted memories of years ago. "It's just sometimes I feel the same like I did back then." Catching Deeks' frightened look, she clarified, "I don't want to starve myself anymore. But when things in school don't work out, or people make a sarcastic joke at me that I'm not comfortable with, I feel like I did back then. I can definitely stand up for myself, I'm much more positive and not so scared anymore. But I still feel like I'm not worth it sometimes, and I know I am. It's just old issues, everyone's got them I suppose."

As he hugged her closely, Katie's words stirred something in Deeks' mind: _old issues_. That was it. Kensi feared being nothing, being alone, not having anyone. Where Katie's issues stemmed from bullying and constantly being teased, Kensi's stemmed from loss. She was ultimately terrified that Deeks would leave her. Just like Jack did that Christmas, voluntarily; just like her father, her best friend, did all those years ago _involuntarily_. In that flash of intuition, he knew where Kensi was. The only place she would go to have some sort of solace and a partial connection to her father. "Katie, are you going to be ok if I leave? I know where Kensi is." Deeks told her.

"I'll be alright, Marty. I'm stronger now. Hopefully it'll just fade away and become a bad nightmare as I get older." Katie responded, closing her blue eyes and feeling the sun on her face.

"You're amazing Katie." Deeks stated as he got up, kissed her forehead, picked up his discarded surfboard and ran towards his car. He was just about to get in when he saw Eric pull up. In the passenger seat was a younger guy that was _very_ similar looking to Eric: tall, blond hair, green eyes and a kind smile.

"Hey Deeks!" Eric called from the driver's seat, "How's the weekend going?"

"Could be better," Deeks told the other man honestly, "Kensi had a nightmare about being abandoned I think."

Eyes widening in recognition, Eric nodded, "Tell her we all love her."

"Thanks Eric. Hey, is that your brother?" Deeks questioned, looking casually over at mini-Eric.

"Yeah, this is Wyatt. He's in medical school. Wyatt, this is Marty Deeks. Marty is our LAPD Liaison." Eric introduced. When Wyatt heard Deeks' name he promptly looked down, but not before a look of fear crossed his face. So this was _Wyatt Beale_. "I'm meeting his _friend_ Catherine today," Eric continued, not paying attention to his brother's facial expression, "although I'm pretty sure she's more than a friend. He talks about her all the time. Catherine this, Catherine that."

"Eric," Deeks' interjected smoothly, "remember when Callen mentioned meeting my pseudo kid sister at OSP?"

"Sure," he said, "her name is Catherine and she's in- oh." Eric trailed off, fixating on his brother with a look of shock.

"Take care of her Wyatt," Deeks stated, staring at a terrified Wyatt who had the decency to look up, "she really is my sister and I love her to death. I've seen her at her highest high and lowest low."

"Yes sir." Wyatt told Deeks, his voice confident.

"Good, because I also carry a gun. And I'm a cop." Deeks called, jumping into his and driving away.

LALALA

Kensi couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Walking through the Hollywood Cemetery, her mismatched eyes travelled over the marked graves. None of these held her father, but all these people had once lived. All these people left loved ones on this earth, grieving and mourning. Just like her. Kensi missed her Dad everyday, but seeing him in her dream, telling her she wasn't worth it, that was too much. Shivering slightly in the February air, she looked back over her shoulder again. Nothing. Just like her. She was nothing. Deeks would leave her, just like they all did. She was better off alone. She resolved to break up with him, in that moment. Because, the longer they were together, the more she became attached. And the more attached she became, the more it would destroy her when he left. Might as well beat him to the punch, she thought grimly. She sat on a beach and watched a pair of pigeons sit on a headstone engraved with teddy bears, hearts and angels. Wincing mentally, she realized the grave was a child's. She sat up quickly, immediately wanting to run from a tragedy like that when she bumped into something solid. "Sorry I wasn't looking where I was going," she apologized as she stood up, meeting a pair of bright blue eyes. _His eyes._

"You found me." She stated, not bothering to greet him, knowing she would break both their hearts before the conversation was over.

"You're scared I'll leave. You're scared to be alone. You're terrified you'll be nothing to anyone. Well let me tell you something: you are _everything_ to me. Kensi, I cannot tell you how much I love you. While I understand where your fear comes from, you can't just run from me, expecting to protect me from harm. We're in this together angelfish. I don't want you dealing with life alone. In fact, I simply will _not_ stand for it. I never want to see you in that state of pain again. I love you too much to see that. It literally breaks my heart into pieces. I don't want you lost like how my mother was, or how Katie was. Thank goodness she came out of it. Princess, that edge is slippery, please don't fall in, because it's too dark of a place. But know that if you do, I'll bring you back. I'll bring you back to me, to happiness, to life, to _love_." Deeks concluded his speech and wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't get it," Kensi snapped, pushing him away, "I don't want _you_ to deal with this. There's no point, you're going to leave anyway. Might as well cut our losses now."

A look of pain flashed across Deeks' eyes, "You don't mean that."

"Of course I do. I have enough emotional baggage to fill the Staples Center. I'm better off alone. I'll change teams and…" Kensi paused, her phone ringing. She answered the phone and whoever was on the other line immediately began to speak. Kensi didn't say a word throughout the entire phone call, but her eyes were trained onto Deeks. When the other party finally hung up, her eyes softened. "Katie has good timing. You really saved her, didn't you?"

"You don't give up on those you love." Deeks said simply.

"Promise?" Kensi questioned, her voice above a whisper.

"Promise. I'm always here for you, day or night, rain or shine, sadness or happiness. You're stuck with me." Deeks smiled, pulling her close once more.

"I love you." Kensi said.

"I love you too. And I'll do everything in my power to keep the nightmares away." Deeks promised as the leaves swirled around them.

LALALA

Hi all! So this is quite different than my normal updates but I wanted to go here. I'm very proud of this chapter actually, I felt that Kensi's past would eventually bring this to the table. Relationships have ups and downs after all. Also- in reference to bullying- I can't stand it. Everyone deserves respect and love so they do not resort to harming themselves. Have a great weekend and catch the next update ("Church") on Friday March 1st! Sorry for the weekly updates but school is crazy, I have an exam every week for the next few weeks. Medical school, seriously.


	8. Church

**Church**

Surprise! I took a study break and wrote this chapter! I don't think it is as well written as the last one, but hopefully you all will enjoy it. Forgot to thank everyone last time for your lovely reviews and comments. I truly appreciate them all! Thank you! Next update will be on Friday as per usual. Thanks again!

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: Same as always. I don't own the hospital mentioned or the church. Enjoy!

It happened again. She was always terrified that it would, especially in their line of work. But now it was a reality: Deeks had been shot, again. Only this time, the bullet had lodged itself deeper into his abdomen. And apparently it was close to his splenic artery, which, according to Katie, was bad. Kensi got lost halfway through Katie's medical babble but the look on the brunette's face was enough to convey the severity of the matter. In retrospect, they should not have gone to Cedars Sinai. They should have gone to another hospital, one where Katie wasn't doing her rotations. Because Kensi was sure that Katie was on a fast track to an emotional breakdown, after seeing Deeks wheeled into the ER. But Cedars Sinai was the closest, and Deeks had even managed to regain consciousness and lightly squeeze Katie's hand, before being wheeled into surgery. All this had happened about two hours ago, and now she was waiting for news from the doctors. Katie had tried to ask for permission to assist in the surgery but was immediately denied: too much of a personal connection and was sent back to her ward. Kensi had taken to walking the halls and staring at the doors to the OR, willing them to open.

"Really Miss Blye, I'm sure that Mister Deeks will be just fine." Hetty said appearing before Kensi with the whole team in tow, and briefly startling her.

"Yeah Kens, it's Deeks, he'll be okay. He knows better than to stay injured cause you'll kick his ass." Callen commented, smiling at the Junior Agent.

"This would have _never_ gone down in the Blye-Jones Administration." Nell stated, wrapping her arms around Kensi and pulling her into a hug.

Kensi smiled weakly at their attempts to make her feel better but she wasn't having it. For some reason she was horrified that Deeks would not pull through. That he would leave her. Alone. _Old issues, he'll be fine, he'll come back to me_, she told herself sternly. She had heard that if you say something, anything, enough times it would start to sound true. And with that, she sat down and began to repeat her mantra concerning Deeks over and over in her mind. What seemed like eons later, a surgeon finally emerged from the OR, a mask of professionalism on his face. "For Marty Deeks?" he questioned.

"Yes, that's us, for Deeks." Kensi confirmed, who stood up far too quickly, experienced head rush and stumbled over the doctor, who introduced himself as Dr. Michelson.

"He's stable. We almost lost him on the table, twice. But he pulled through and the surgery was a success. I had to partially remove a part of his spleen. He's in recovery now and we'll see how he does throughout the night." Dr. Michelson explained.

"Can we see him?" Kensi asked, her mind racing from panic to fear to relief in a matter of seconds.

"One at a time, if you don't mind," the doctor smiled.

"Tell him that we miss him, Kensi, and to feel better." Eric told her, as the team sat down in the waiting area.

Smiling, Kensi followed the doctor inside. She traded her clothes for scrubs and walked into Deeks' room, not sure what to expect. What she saw however broke her heart. There was Deeks, _her Deeks_, lying in a hospital bed with tubes and bandages all around him. The steady beep of his heart on the vitals machine reassured her that he was _here_ with her. Carefully, she sat down on the bed, found his non-bandaged hand and softly began to trace circles on it. "I love you Deeks. Everyone is rooting for you. That star you gave me? It's meaningless without you. Because you're my star Deeks, you are my light, and most importantly, you are my love. Come back to me." Kensi whispered to him. She didn't receive a response, truthfully, she didn't expect to. Well, maybe a small, naïve, part of her did.

"Before he went under he told me that he needs to pull through, or Kensi would 'kick his ass ninja-style.' " Dr. Michelson voiced, walking into the room, checking Deeks' vitals.

"I would, there's no denying that." Kensi replied, her eyes still locked onto Deeks.

"Would you like to go home for a while and get some sleep? I promise I'll call you if anything changes, you are listed his next of kin." Dr. Michelson said.

"I should get some sleep," Kensi agreed, privately thrilled that Deeks had changed his next to kin to her, as she had done the same with her own papers. She returned back to the waiting room and told the team that she would be notified if anything changed.

"Want a ride home?" Sam asked her, as they walked towards the garage.

"Actually no, could you take me somewhere though? It's important." Kensi said, watching the fading rays of the sun paint the sky a deep orange.

"Of course," Sam grinned, revving the engine.

LALALA

Kensi had not set foot inside a church since her father died. She considered it a personal insult that her best friend was taken away from her and she could not even say goodbye. She lightly walked down the aisle, found a pew to her liking, and sat down. The stained glass windows, which were decorating the church, depicted angels, saints and countless other heavenly beings. On the window closet to her was an angel, St. Michael, she gathered, looking at the nameplate. Smirking silently to herself at the irony of Deeks' surgeon having the same name as the archangel, she closed her eyes. The peace and serenity of the church was like a tangible entity, in that moment, she _knew_ Deeks would be ok.

"Kensi?" a voice asked.

"Katie? What are you doing here?" Kensi questioned the girl.

"Same thing as you, praying for the best." Katie responded as she sat down, still in her royal blue scrubs.

A silence fell between them and once more Kensi closed her eyes. Not to long after, sobs filled the air. Opening her eyes, she saw Katie with her head bowed down, shoulders shaking, and tears spilling onto her pants. Kensi had once spoken to Katie about her relationship with Deeks, and how she was scared of knowing him intimately as a doctor. But this was not related to that at all. This was Katie having an emotional breakdown, terrified of the slight prospect of loosing someone close to her. No amount of medical training could prepare her for that. Kensi had never seen Katie like this: the girl was completely lost. _Lost_. Just like she was when she had that nightmare, completely unreachable and Deeks saved her. And now Kensi had to save Katie. She pulled Katie into a hug and offered her a sip of water. Katie nodded, signaling a thank you. Kensi didn't have a speech prepared like Deeks did. She didn't have some brilliant way with words that could immediately comfort Katie. All she said were a few choice words, "He loves you. He won't leave you."

"His career choice isn't exactly a desk job." Katie muttered, now staring ahead at the altar, not seeing anything.

"No, that's true," the NCIS agent agreed, "but you know him better than I do. Has he ever let you down?"

"Never." Katie affirmed.

"Well then, he won't start now." Kensi declared as she stood up, walked towards the altar, dropped a few dollars into a box, and lit a candle. Returning, she saw Katie offer her a small smile.

"I'm glad you two have each other. You're perfect together." Katie stated, absentmindedly playing with her hair.

Kensi was about to answer her when her phone rang. She quickly answered and after a few seconds a smile graced her face. Grabbing Katie by the hand she ran towards the exit. _Thank you_, she thought before exiting the church. "You're driving us back to the hospital," she told Katie excitedly, who quickly unlocked the car and jumped inside, a smile lighting up her brilliant blue eyes.

LALALA

"Kens, I'm fine, really. But I need to breath." Deeks said, his voice scratchy.

"Sorry," Kensi murmured, pulling away, "I'm just so happy that you're ok."

"You won't get rid of me that easy, Agent Blye." Deeks grinned, his eyes looking tired but joyful.

"Everyone is going to visit in the morning," Kensi informed him, "but Katie is waiting outside."

"I suppose I _have_ to see her." Deeks said sarcastically as Katie walked in the room, still playing with her hair.

"Nervous habit, there Katie?" Deeks smiled, as she cautiously hugged him.

"Shut up." Katie replied, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"I'll give you two a minute." Kensi told the pair, quietly closing the door behind her.

"I went to this really nice church on my way home to pray for you. And you're ok. Don't ever do that to me again!" Katie threatened, a smirk on her face.

"I'll try not to." Deeks promised. "Where's this church by the way?"

"On Sichel Street," Katie responded, "the church itself is really beautiful. The stained glass windows especially. Why do you ask?"

"Because," Deeks answered, "I'll want to talk to the priest about how long the waiting list is for weddings."

LALALA

Bet you guys didn't see that one coming huh? Now, they won't get married _right away_, but the idea is in Deeks' mind. I want to still follow them throughout their boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and then have him propose. Up next: "London". Thank you all again for your amazing reviews!


	9. London

**London**

DISCLAIMER: see previous chapters. Enjoy!

"This place would be better if it didn't rain _all the time_." Deeks said for what was conceivably the thousandth time.

"Yes I know you don't like the rain. You've mentioned it once or twice." Kensi replied as the couple walked towards Buckingham Palace one evening. The pair had taken some vacation time and Deeks surprised Kensi with a trip to London. She had never visited the sprawling capital before, but the second she arrived; she was instantly attracted to it. All around her was history: the Thames, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament, and, if she being completely honest with herself, those British accents were rather fetching. She finally understood what Katie had been excited about whenever someone mentioned the British or England in general.

"Kensi," Deeks asked, "what is it with you girls and British guys?"

"How did you possibly know that I was thinking about British guys?" she asked, whipping around to face him.

"I didn't," he smirked, "you just told me. Katie always goes crazy over England. When she first went there one summer I thought she wouldn't come back. I think that if she could be British, she would be." Deeks stated.

"She could marry a British guy," Kensi offered, "then she would be, by marriage at least."

"Wyatt hasn't done anything stupid to her. I've sort of gotten used to him. I'll leave that relationship for now, but I like where your head is at." Deeks smirked. The two finally stopped as they reached the Palace. Although he knew practically nothing about architecture, he thought that the official residency of the Queen was not all that bad.

"It must be crazy to live in a palace like that," Kensi suddenly said, "all those rooms. You could run around the whole place as a workout. Probably get lost a bunch of times too."

"I'll build you a palace." Deeks declared, taking himself by surprise that he actually _said_ those words out loud.

"Really? A palace?" Kensi questioned, her lips twitching into a smile.

"As long as you're with me Princess, anywhere we live can be called a palace. But if you'd like an actual palace, I'll try by best to make you happy." Deeks explained.

"We have the aquarium for now." Kensi grinned, pulling into him a kiss.

LALALA

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Nell was furiously trying to get her bearings on what her relationship with Eric actually was. It was far too early in the morning to be considering an answer to this problem but she knew that it had to be done. After their Valentine's Day dinner, the two had spent some evenings together, gone to see movies and had _kissed_. And if there was one thing that Eric Beale was better at than hacking, it was kissing. Nell was sure at one point that her legs had turned into actual jelly. But the two were not official yet, and that was bothering her. Not that she was the type of girl that needed a guy to function in a manner benefiting society but it would be nice to just know.

"Smoke is going to come out of your ears Nell." Callen commented as he entered OPS. "What're you thinking so hard about?"

"Just personal things." Nell supplied, not wanting to explain to Callen the female psyche, at least not before her coffee.

"Let me venture a guess," Sam stated, casually walking in behind his partner, "this is about Eric."

"Not _just_ Eric," Callen said, feigning shock, "but questioning their relationship status. And the possibility of what that relationship might bring."

"Guys, as much as I love listening to you both, this isn't time for the Sam and Callen show." Nell told them, running her hands through her short hair.

"Why is Sam's name first? It should be the Callen and Sam show." Callen said looking rather put out upon hearing this.

"How do you figure that?" Sam questioned, openly grinning at the ridiculous idea presented.

"It's alphabetical." Callen declared, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mr. Callen is correct about that Mr. Hanna. And Miss Jones, I am rather sure that Mr. Beale would enjoy the idea of you two being _official_." Hetty called out, walking past OPS, not bothering to stop on her way downstairs.

"How does she know what I'm thinking?" Nell asked out loud. Upon receiving two very skeptical looks she returned to her computer. It was Hetty, after all.

LALALA

"Angelfish, we are going on the London Eye. The sky has cleared up and I believe that city will look rather nice at night." Deeks said abruptly to Kensi as he grabbed her hand and changed their course.

"What's the hurry?" Kensi asked, stumbling for a few steps before regaining her balance.

"Might as well make the best of London. We only have another three days here. And then it's back to L.A., where the bad guys live." Deeks answered her, walking at rather fast pace.

They reached the Eye and Kensi immediately snapped a picture, amazed at the structure before her. Deeks bought and paid for their tickets and they climbed into one of the pods. The detective was secretly thrilled that no one else was with them. Gently taking Kensi's hand, he kissed her knuckles, and began to play with her fingers. Wrapping his arms around her, he breathed in the scent that was Kensi: vanilla and a mix of floral tones. They softly began to sway together as the Eye rose up into the night sky and soon they began to dance.

"We're getting better at the waltz." Deeks grinned.

"Good thing Hetty forced us to practice together." Kensi smiled, laughing as he dipped her.

"You loved it." Deeks teased, staring into her mismatched eyes.

"I did. Even though you kept stepping on my feet." Kensi replied, slightly breathless from their dance.

The Eye reached the top of its circle and Kensi looked over London, mesmerized by the landscape before her. "I'd like to come back here," she admitted to her boyfriend, whose eyes were fixed on Westminster Abbey. "There's something about the energy of this city. Almost like New York, it doesn't sleep."

"One trip to London in the future. Got it." Deeks murmured in her ear. Taking her hands, they continued their dance, between the river and the sky.

LALALA

Hi! So completely different then my previous updates. Densi cuteness to the max! Thank you again for your kind reviews. Please keep them coming. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. So next update will be scheduled for Friday as usual ("Club"). Thank you all again! Have a great weekend.


	10. Club

**Club**

DISCLAIMER: NCIS: LA is not mine; the stories and original characters that I write are, that is all . Also, everyone, how amazing was "Wanted"? Seriously all that DENSI was just great. It's easily one of my favorite episodes, along with "Neighborhood Watch" and "Personal". Enjoy!

When Marty Deeks entered his girlfriend's apartment, he was sure that he was in a war zone. There were clothes everyone. He also saw various cosmetics, lotions and some vanilla cupcake smelling body spray. Not that he was complaining, because he thought that Kensi smelled absolutely great. However, he could not see the floor, and that was a problem in his so-called "OCD cleaning" mindset.

"Kensi? Kensi! I swear to you that one of these days; I _will_ step on a piece of glass, slice my foot open and bleed out of the carpet. And the most hilarious thing will be is that I'll still have to clean up the blood after I stitched up." Deeks called, wandering into Kensi's bedroom.

"I don't leave glass on the floor Deeks." Kensi called from inside her closet.

"That you know of," the detective muttered to himself.

"Look," Kensi began, walking out in an old LAPD T-shirt of his, "it's 10pm. We are meant to be at the club at 11, and I still have _no idea_ what to wear. I thought I had club clothes, but evidentially they're all from Hetty." She sat down on a bare patch on her bed, staring at the clothes laid out before her. Kensi held up a tight dark blue dress with a lace border around the bodice, eyeing it critically for about two seconds, she threw it off to the side. She did the same with a red, silver and gold metallic dress. Rolling her eyes, she walked into the bathroom and began to apply her makeup.

"I think the gold dress is nice." Deeks offered, standing by the door, holding the garment.

"Deeks, you're seriously offering me fashion advice? I love you, but no." Kensi said, her eyes focused on her mascara wand.

"I'm calling in reinforcements." Deeks murmured as he exited the bathroom, and walked towards the kitchen, quickly dialing Katie's cell phone.

LALALA

Meanwhile, Eric was sitting in Nell's clean kitchen, waiting for her to get dressed. Eric never considered himself a club person, but a night out dancing with his colleagues seemed like a fun idea. He had been "officially" dancing Nell for a week, and things had been going well. Truthfully, they weren't any different from when the two were not "official". Although Sam and Callen had now taken to mocking Eric as opposed to mocking Deeks. And Eric, valuing his life, was not about to joke about Sam's wife or Callen's…tin toy soldier.

"Eric? Eric! I've been trying to get your attention for about four minutes now. Hello?" Nell called, waving her hand in front of his face. Eric blinked his eyes a few times, regaining focus. Frowning, Nell asked, "What were you thinking so hard about?"

"About how I value my life and would never make fun of Sam or Callen or anything or anyone important to them." Eric said in one breath. Looking closer at Nell, he saw that she was wearing a dark olive green dress with a gold necklace and black strappy heels. "You look beautiful," he said, complimenting her.

"We match." Nell said simply, her cheeks painted with a dark blush as she pointed to Eric's shirt. Her phone vibrated and Nell quickly read the text. "We have to make a pit spot: Deeks says Kensi has no idea what to wear."

"Women and their clothing, really, I don't understand it." Callen stated as walked in the front door, Michelle and Sam trailing behind him.

"That's why you're single G." Sam laughed, straightening out his shirt for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"That's not why I'm single Sam. I choose to be single." Callen retorted, a smirk on his face.

"According to Hetty, you don't play well with others? Is that correct?" Michelle commented, idly standing by the door, absentmindedly filing a nail.

"And this is exactly why I love you." Sam declared, quickly kissing Michelle's forehead, grinning at Callen.

"Can we all get _moving_?" Nell called, effectively ending the conversation, walking towards the door, and leaving three stunned agents and Eric, behind.

LALALA

"Marty? It's me." Katie called, knocking on the door. She straightened out her black lace dress and flipped her hair out from under her jacket.

"Katie! You are my _hero_." Deeks told the girl, wrapping his arms around her. Pulling away, he looked her up and down, "That dress is rather short, Katie. Don't you want to change?"

Flushing bright pink, the brunette responded, "If you _must_ know, this is a present from some of my friends at school. And it's not short. Short is not covering your panties. I assure you, my panties are covered. Now, what's all this commotion about?"

"Kensi doesn't know what to wear. And we have to go, soon. Hetty got us a VIP table at the club, but the reservation is only till 11pm." Deeks answered, still wary of Katie's dress.

"I'm on it." Katie said, walking towards the bedroom, with Deeks hot on her heels. "What's up Kensi? I heard you have an outfit crisis. Not to worry, I'll solve all your problems. I once helped my best friend Alice choose an outfit in under two minutes. Not that it mattered because she threw up all over herself about two hours after. But for those two hours, she looked fabulous." Katie articulated rather rapidly. She walked past Kensi, gave her a quick hug, and speculated about the outfits before her. She hummed to herself slightly before picking up the gold metallic dress and a pair of black stilettos and pressing them into Kensi's arms. "Go change."

"This is perfect, why didn't I think of this? Thanks Katie." Kensi yelled as she ran into the bathroom to change.

Nodding to herself, Katie turned around and faced Deeks, who looked slightly bemused. "What?" Katie questioned, clearing away the remaining options and some of the cosmetics.

"It's just, well, that's the _exact_ same outfit that I told her to wear." Deeks said, completely confused and thinking that he should possibly text Nell not to arrive and to meet them at the club.

"I highly doubt that, Marty. But sure, I believe you, you picked the _exact_ same outfit." Katie replied, walking out of room.

LALALA

The music was pounding, the lights were gleaming and hundreds of people were swaying and dancing to the loud beats being played by the DJ. The lightshow was incredible, the effects more diverse than any club that Eric had ever seen. The group was sitting at the table reserved by Hetty, being treated to bottle service. Nell was currently mixing a drink for Katie, adding orange juice to vodka and throwing in a few cubes of ice. Katie nodded her thanks and took the drink from Nell. Eric could see what his brother liked about her. Katie was fun, kind and smart. Eric had asked his brother if he wanted to join them and Wyatt said that he would available, however would be arriving later and not to mention this to Katie. Briefly wondering about the involved element of secrecy, Eric's thoughts were cut short by the drink placed into his hand by Callen. "What's in here?" he asked, observing the drink that was a dark shade of red.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Callen smirked, shooting back a shot of tequila with Sam.

"I suppose not." Eric grumbled, and throwing his head back, he downed the drink. The concoction burned his throat the whole way down. Eyes watering, he looked at Callen, "I suppose there was a rather _small_ amount of juice in here."

"Your suspicions would be correct Mr. Beale." Sam told the hacker, impersonating Hetty, earning a grin from Callen and an eye roll from Michele.

"Let's go dance girls!" Kensi suddenly shouted, and with that, she grabbed Katie, Nell and Michelle and ran for the dance floor.

"She's only had one drink." Deeks defended, eyeing the other man warily, but personally thrilled that Kensi was having a good time.

LALALA

In the meantime, on the dance floor, Nell was having a fantastic time dancing to "Single Ladies". She had to admit that the DJ was good. Looking over the semi-circle, she saw that the others were enjoying the music as well. Michelle was rocking out to the music; Katie was spinning in circles, her brown hair flying around her like a curtain and Kensi swinging her hips back and forth. Out of the corner of her eye, Nell saw a heavyset guy staring at Kensi with a rather hungry-looking smirk on his face. Nothing that Kensi couldn't take care of herself, she thought, as she continued dancing.

Kensi was easily having one of the best nights of her life. She really did need to let loose more often. Sensing someone behind her, she whipped around and came face to face with Deeks. "Can I have this dance?" he asked, pulling her close. Kensi nodded and looked over her shoulder, noticing that Eric and Sam had appeared to dance with Nell and Michelle. Katie looked slightly put out for a second but soon a smile appeared on her face. Wyatt ran up to her and she jumped into her arms. "I didn't have any idea Wyatt was coming." Kensi half-yelled over the music into Deeks' ear, watching Wyatt pick Katie up and spin her around.

"He wanted it to be a surprise. Eric told us after your mass female exodus to the dance floor." Deeks answered, twirling her around his arm, his dark grey shirt imprinted with bright lights.

They had danced for while when Kensi stated that she wanted to go to the bathroom. Nodding, Deeks joined in a dance that had formed between Eric, Nell, Wyatt and Katie. Kensi was just about to enter the bathroom when an arm blocked her path. Looking up calmly, she noticed it was the guy that was staring at her from before. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"The name's Rick. What say you dump that surfer and come with me, honey?" he muttered and smiling, he showed off several gold teeth.

"I'll stay with the surfer, thank you." Kensi stated firmly. Rick, who clearly did not know how to take rejection well grabbed Kensi's arm. She was just about to flip him over her shoulder and potentially break his arm when a fist appeared out of nowhere, punching him square in the face.

"That's my girl asshole. Don't ever touch her again, or I will end you." Deeks hissed, venom in his blue eyes. Softening his gaze he turned to Kensi, "Are you okay, Princess?"

"Of course. But thank you for being Prince Charming." Kensi smiled, hugging him. "Shall we get back to the dance floor?" she asked, swaying her hips to his.

"Definitely." Deeks grinned, grabbing her hand and leading the way.

LALALA

Hi! Hope that you all liked this one! I thought it was rather fun and cute. Also, amazing news, I aced my pathology exam today! Seriously so thrilled! Anyhow, next update on Friday as usual: "Cookies". Thank you again for your lovely reviews! They are great things to see after pouring over medical textbooks daily lol. Thank you again!


	11. Cookies

**Cookies**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always.

Marty Deeks did not consider himself to be a fearful man. But, based on the current situation he was in, he was _terrified_. Kensi Blye, ninja, NCIS agent, love of his life and hopefully future fiancée, had decided to bake cookies, from scratch. Kensi was standing over a cookbook she had received from Nell and was reading over a recipe for so-called "Easy Chocolate Cookies" and was muttering to herself, mentally rearranging the needed ingredients. Deeks really did not know how to go about approaching the situation as the last time Kensi "baked", it was as Melissa, with ready-to-bake snicker doodles. All he knew was that he had two options: number one was to allow Kensi to bake these cookies, and place his own life in jeopardy, number two was to run like hell away from Kensi's apartment as fast as humanly possible. Not wanting to place all of the Greater Los Angeles Area at risk from Kensi's cookies, he opted to stay, and maybe, just maybe, he would make it out of her apartment alive.

"Deeks, can you hand me the flour? The recipe calls for two cups." Kensi said, her brunette hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Sure, Angelfish. Anything else for milady?" Deeks asked, pausing in mid-reach.

"Milady? Who are you? Eric?" Kensi smirked, mismatched eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Well no, but it sounds rather nice so I figured I'd try it out. I can call you 'the old ball and chain', if you'd like?" Deeks questioned, staring at Kensi, looking utterly serious.

"If you do that, you'll have two dead arms." Kensi commented, not bothering to look up from the recipe she was once again reading.

"So you've just upped the anti to two? I don't think that's fair Kensi. At least start with one before you decide to take away use of both my arms." Deeks replied, rubbing his arms subconsciously.

"Relax surfer boy. I won't hurt you. I need you to help me bake these cookies anyway." Kensi told her boyfriend, who looked astounded.

"Kensi," Deeks began, "while I think that's a great idea, I believe that my talents will be better used as a supervisor. I'm really more of a delegator actually, kind of like Hetty. Except not so old and short." Deeks instinctively looked around as he said those words, thinking for a brief moment that Hetty would just appear in Kensi's apartment to rebuke him.

"I'll tell Hetty you said that, if you don't help me." Kensi threatened, a sly smile across her face.

"You fight dirty Angelfish." Deeks stated. "I like it."

LALALA

Hours, and multiple failed batches of cookies later, Deeks was close to admitting defeat. Kensi had sent him to the store so many times that the kind lady working there had opened a tab for him and his baking needs. Deeks was sure that his next paycheck was paying for the bulk of Kensi's baking. Although, if he was being completely honest with himself, he didn't care how much this baking madness cost. The smile on Kensi's face was enough to have him finance 34 more cookie baking sessions. Unlocking and opening the door to Kensi's apartment, he was shocked to smell the aroma of freshly baked cookies, and not smoke. Walking into Kensi's kitchen, he found her carefully placing two cookies on a plate before him, along with a glass of milk.

"This is the _perfect_ batch." Kensi declared, before running over to Deeks and jumping into his arms.

"This type of hello permanent Kensi? Because let me tell you, I'm loving it." Deeks mumbled into her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Well you managed to survive every other batch I baked. Including that one where the chocolate chips turned into some kind of new diamond-like substance, the batch where the dough turned green and the batch that exploded in the microwave." Kensi told him, grimacing slightly at her previous failed attempts.

"Hetty should patent those cookies and make grenades." Deeks said, earning a dead arm from Kensi, before dodging from the oncoming strike. "Not cool, Angelfish. How am I supposed to rule the aquarium with a dead arm?"

"Just eat your cookies." Kensi said, looking completely exasperated.

Deeks cautiously sniffed the cookies, and when he found nothing too ominous, he took a bite. Best. Cookies. Ever. He could not believe it but Kensi had baked cookies, and they were _edible._ "Kensi, these are amazing." Deeks exclaimed, wrapping Kensi into a hug. "I mean they could not be any better. And let me tell you something, they are better than Katie's. And that girl can bake good cookies. You officially have won the 'Best Cookie Award'."

"You actually like them?" Kensi asked, looking completely stunned.

"Yeah, I do." Deeks answered, taking another bite. "We should bring these to OPS tomorrow, I'm sure that everyone would love to try them."

Nodding, Kensi began to wrap up the cookies. She stacked them into a container, walked to her car and placed it inside. She just about to go inside when her phone rang, "Blye."

"Miss Blye, although the team is not on call today, I request your and Mr. Deeks presence in OPS immediately." Hetty stated promptly, a kettle whistling in the background.

"We're on our way." Kensi said, not bothering to ask how Hetty knew that Deeks was with her. "Deeks! Hetty needs us in OPS!" she called, walking into her bedroom to retrieve her gun and badge.

"But I'm eating my cookie. Can't it wait?" Deeks whined, savoring the taste of the chocolate chips.

"Now!" Kensi screamed and dragged her boyfriend by the ear to the car. Opening the door, she forced him inside.

"Kensi, I left my gun and badge in your kitchen." Deeks smiled, melted chocolate on his face.

LALALA

"His name is Matthew Tobinski, he is eight years old and his mother was shot his morning by a rogue gunmen. His father is serving in Iraq and the social worker is attempting to contact him. No such luck yet." Hetty briefed the team upstairs in OPS.

"That poor little boy. He's all alone, he must be terrified." Nell mumbled, watching the live feed on the big screen. Debbie, the social worker, was in a corner of the room trying to contact Sgt. Tobinski. Matthew was sitting on the floor, absentmindedly playing with toy cars, looking completely lost.

In a flash of genius, Kensi knew exactly what to do. She raced across the room, down the stairs and into the sunlit parking lot. Before anyone could question why she left she returned with the container of cookies.

"Kensi, are you trying to poison us?" Callen asked, looking warily at the cookies.

"They are amazing cookies. Better than any other cookies _ever_ baked." Deeks stated, supporting his girlfriend who looked slightly upset.

"Did Kensi hit you on the head too hard again Deeks?" Sam asked laughing at the detective.

"Say what guys want, the cookies aren't even for you anymore. They're for Matthew." Kensi told the team and walked towards the room where Matthew was playing.

"Hi there, Matthew, I'm Kensi," the Agent introduced herself, bending down to the child's level. "These are cool toys, can I play too?"

The little boy nodded, his blond hair messily falling into his blue eyes, which were now carefully studying her. "I have a red car and blue car. You can be the red car because it's for girls. And I'll be the blue car. Want to race?"

"Sure," Kensi affirmed, getting her car into position. The two raced around the room, with Matthew ultimately winning the race. "And for the winner, a chocolate chip cookie." Kensi said, smiling at the boy.

"Really?" Matthew asked, his eyes going wide at the sight of the cookie.

"Yes, just for you. In fact, the whole box is for you." Kensi grinned.

"Thanks so much Miss Kensi!" Matthew cried, and running towards Kensi, he engulfed her in a hug.

"No problem Matthew. I'll be right back, okay." Kensi stated, feeling her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She was about to walk back into the computer room when she almost walked into Hetty.

"That was a very kind deed, Miss Blye." Hetty commented, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I had to help him. He shouldn't have to deal with something like this at the age of eight. Matthew just looks so innocent, with his blond hair and blue eyes." Kensi answered, leaning against the stairwell.

"Similar features to someone else I happen to know." Hetty stated, smiling at Kensi.

"What? No. That had nothing to do with Deeks." Kensi denied, shaking her head as to prove her point.

"Are you quite sure?" Hetty pressed, that annoying smile still etched on her face.

"Very sure." Kensi confirmed to the older woman, and turned to head into OPS. Truthfully, the child did remind her of Deeks, at least physically. But his careful regard of her was pure Kensi. What Kensi saw in that little boy was her potential future child with Deeks. And perhaps what was most startling, she was not afraid of the idea. She was not afraid of a future with Deeks. She was fundamentally not longer afraid of happiness. Smiling to herself, she walked towards Deeks and softly grabbed his hand, tracing circles across his palm.

LALALA

Hi guys! Hope that you all had a great week! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you all again so much for your reviews and comments! Keep them coming- I love hearing what you guys are thinking. Next Friday, be on the lookout for "BBQ".


	12. BBQ

**BBQ**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: see previous updates.

"Deeks will you hurry up? It's a BBQ with the team in the park, not Fashion Week in New York." Kensi yelled through the apartment, placing drinks in the icebox.

"Kens, my hair is my trademark. It takes effort sometimes to make it work. I'm almost ready." Deeks called back, trying to get his hair _perfectly_ styled in the bathroom.

"Deeks, I'll leave without you. Or better yet, if you aren't ready in the next 30 seconds, no cookies for you." Kensi yelled, smiling in triumph when she heard her boyfriend's pounding footsteps running towards the kitchen.

"That's a low blow Fern." Deeks said, pouting slightly. "You can't deny me the best cookies on the planet. That's like taking away Hetty's fancy tea from the foothills of the Himalayas."

"I'm pretty sure that's not where the tea is from but whatever." Kensi smirked at Deeks. "Now make yourself useful and carry the icebox to the car."

"Really Kensi? Really? You're making _me_ to the heavy lifting? That's not in my contract sweetheart." Deeks stated, feet firmly planted on the ground with no intention to move.

"Deeks, if you take the icebox to the car now, I'll make it worthwhile for you later." Kensi said, a sly smile gracing her face.

"Done." Deeks declared and took off like a flash to the car, with the icebox in tow.

LALALA

"Eric I saw you sneak that extra smartphone in your bag. I told you, we're going wireless for once. Only Hetty has a cell phone." Nell said, catching Eric red-handed.

"It's too weird not to have technology." Eric told her, looking completely distraught at the idea of not having a cell phone with him. "I feel like I'm missing a limb. This is how agents must feel without guns and badges. It's not right. Can't I at least bring a calculator?"

"What could you possibly need a calculator for?" Nell questioned, slightly concerned for his sanity. "Are you going to do math equations in the park? Find the derivative of x or the integral of y."

"Nell, think of this calculator as Callen's tin solider." Eric stated, holding the calculator close to him.

"So Black Ops 4 has been dethroned as the honorary tin solider. I'm shocked Eric." Nell responded, trying desperately hard not to laugh at the ridiculous nature of the conversation she was currently involved in.

"I'm so glad you understand," Eric answered, "this is why I love you."

"I'm sorry, you what?" Nell stammered, her eyes widening in complete surprise.

"I love you, Nell. I have for a while now, since before we started dating. You're my best friend and could not be happier that we are together." Eric affirmed, kissing her red hair.

"I love you too." Nell returned, wrapping her arms around him.

LALALA

"I do love Griffith Park. It's easily one of the best sites in LA." Kensi stated conversationally as Deeks pulled into a parking spot near the picnic area, still bemused that Kensi let him drive.

"Princess, you love it because that's where I took you on our first date. Must I remind you about the fairy lights, the champagne and the _chocolate mousse_?" Deeks grinned, his blue eyes hidden behind sunglasses. In response Kensi hit him in the arm, a small smile appearing on her face. "Yeah that's what I thought Angelfish."

"You can take the icebox again." Kensi said, a smirk on her face as she got out of the car, "I'll only make it worthwhile for you if you carry it throughout the whole day."

"I won't even bother to argue." Deeks said sarcastically, and rolling his eyes he took the icebox out of the car, "But, to be honest, I wouldn't mind a kiss. Just as a down payment."

"You're lucky I love you Detective." Kensi murmured as she pulled into a searing kiss.

"Guy this is a public place. There are kids here, can't you control yourselves?" Callen called from a nearby picnic table, flipping burgers at the barbecue pit with Sam, Eric and Nell seated around him.

"You're just jealous Callen." Deeks called back, locking the car doors and carrying the icebox towards the assembled group.

"Not in the slightest, Deeks. Only you can keep up with Kensi. Isn't that why you two are known as 'Densi'?" Callen stated, leaving the entire team in complete shock. "What?" he asked, idly wondering if he had time to take a picture of them in such a state.

"You just said 'Densi', as in, Kensi and Deeks as a couple. Together, like a couple-name." Eric said, looking as if he was expecting a pig to fly above their heads.

"I do occasionally skim the random tabloid here and there. When I go undercover, sometimes my aliases enjoy reading magazines like that. I don't understand what is possibly so shocking about all this." Callen retorted, placing a cheeseburger on Kensi's plate.

"Perhaps Mr. Beale is simply curious about your appraisal of a magazine of that nature. I find it rather confounding, myself." Hetty said, finding a sit at the table and placing a chocolate cake in the center.

"Could we let this go for now and eat?" Sam asked, taking a swing of his water, "If we actually take the time to psychologically analyze G, we'll be here all day and night."

LALALA

Hours later, the group was comfortably reclining around the table, relaxing after the meal. Kensi's head was in Deeks' lap, her eyes were closed and the sun was shining across her face. Nell had taken the time to casually braid Kensi's hair into a loose ponytail and placed a flower behind her ear. "Kensi, it's merry-go-round time." Deeks smiled, pulling his girlfriend up suddenly.

"It's what time?" Kensi inquired, forcing her legs into a proper position and ignoring the cramps of pain.

"Merry-go-round time." Deeks repeated, the sun creating a halo around his blond curls. "It's been around for ages. The craftsmanship is beautiful. Come on, we're going."

"So apparently we're leaving now." Kensi said to her co-workers, completely deadpanned, as she was dragged away by the detective.

The pair strolled through the park towards the merry-go-round area. Kensi had to admit it was rather beautiful. The setting sun was illuminating the carousel, giving the horses an almost life-like quality. Kensi decided to sit on the horse closest to her, with a purple painted saddle. Deeks sat beside her, his horse painted a deep gold. The ride began and began to spin the couple around in circles. Kensi pulled the elastic band out of her hair and it blew behind her freely, catching rays of sunlight.

"You look beautiful." Deeks smiled at her, kissing her softly.

"You look handsome." Kensi replied, stroking his chin and feeling the light stubble underneath. "The last time I was ever on a merry-go-round was with my Dad. He took me on my twelfth birthday. Seems like a lifetime ago." Kensi quietly admitted to Deeks, talking more to floor then to him.

"He's still here Kensi. He's watching and he's proud of you. Loved ones never really leave us. They're just not around physically anymore." Deeks whispered in her ear, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you," Kensi smiled, her eyes shining, "thank you for being there."

"Always, Princess, always." Deeks said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

LALALA

Surprise! I had inspiration today and I ran with it! I also had a bit of free time, so here we are. Thank you again for your reviews. I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to read and comment on my story. Thank you so much. Next update shall be on Friday: "Las Vegas".


	13. Las Vegas

**Las Vegas**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

Marty Deeks woke up with the worst headache of his life. The sunlight streaming threw his window made it clear it was the afternoon. He was sure that an elephant was currently doing the polka on his head. Groaning, he rolled over, feeling the _right_ side of the bed for Kensi. Frowning, he realized that the sheets were cold, with no sign of Kensi in the hotel room. The pair had decided to finally go on vacation to Las Vegas and their first night consisted of playing poker at their hotel, the Bellagio. Last night, however, Kensi had decided that she wanted to go out clubbing. Naturally, the process of picking an outfit to wear had taken over an hour before she finally decided on a metallic off the shoulder dress with black heels. The couple had gone to Pure Nightclub on the Strip and there had definitely been shots, many, many shots. Deeks tried to recall what had happened after the fifth shot but his mind was a blank. He stood up and stumbling slightly made his way to the bathroom, looking for Kensi on the way. He was about to open the door when it flew open on its own accord. Jumping back slightly, his eyes widened at the person in front of him. "Katie?" he questioned, wondering how she could have possibly gotten into his hotel room.

"Marty? This isn't my room, my bad." Katie mumbled, attempting to steady herself on the doorframe.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Deeks asked, taking in her disheveled appearance: long brown hair in complete disarray, make-up smudged and her grey leopard print dress wrinkled.

"Before you even say anything: I _know_ you think my dress is too short. And don't you remember, you called me, well, us. All you said that we had to get to Las Vegas and fast. So we all drove like maniacs and arrived around 2am. Having friends at NCIS is amazing, all the state troopers just let you go, no questions asked." Katie grinned, all the while trying not to fall over herself.

Deeks furrowed his brows, trying to recall any of what Katie had just told him. He didn't remember calling anyone, and apparently he called everyone. And he had absolutely no idea why. "Katie, have you seen Kensi?" Deeks asked, pulling her towards the couch and handing her a bottle of water.

"Not since last night, mind you, it was early in the night, around 3am. I don't remember much after that, and I'm sure I haven't been this hung-over in ages. Try her cell phone though, I'm sure she just went to the pool for some air." Katie answered, taking a swing of the water and nodding her thanks. "Do you have an Advil by any chance?"

"Check Kensi's bedside table. I think I saw her place a bottle there when we arrived." Deeks replied, calling Kensi's cell phone in the process. The call immediately went to voicemail. Deeks was not all that concerned; Kensi could easily take care of herself.

"I'm going to go to my room Marty. I just found the room key in my purse and I need a shower. Badly." Katie said as she threw the drained water bottle in the sink.

"I'll come with you," Deeks answered, "I'm wondering who else came here, and why."

The pair walked to the elevator and rode down to the third floor. Katie swiped her room key and walked inside, Deeks trailing behind. What he saw there would easily be etched into his memory for the rest of his life. Callen, Sam and Eric were all passed out throughout Katie's room. Callen was missing his pants and had a princess tiara on his head. Sam's face was covered in vanilla cake frosting and Eric was cuddling Katie's toy rabbit that Deeks had given to her on her sixth birthday. Deeks quickly snapped a picture with his phone and turned to face a horrified looking Katie. "I'm sorry, but what the _hell_ happened in here?" Katie whispered, staring at Eric clutching Colonel Fluffy with great contempt. "And why is the Colonel being manhandled?"

"Relax Katie. The Colonel will be fine. But seriously, this picture will be the best blackmail _ever_." Deeks told her, raising his voice towards the end and effectively waking up his co-workers.

"Deeks, can you keep it down? I have a massive headache. If you don't, I'll shoot you." Callen stated, forcing himself into a sitting position. "Where are my pants?" he asked, pulling a pillow from the bed in an effort to cover his boxers.

"And why is there frosting on my face?" Sam questioned, wiping the frosting off his face with a napkin. Looking over at Callen, he grinned, "Nice tiara Princess."

"Eric," Katie began, "you may be Wyatt's big brother, but Colonel Fluffy is mine. Please hand him over."

"Never," Eric answered her, "the Colonel and I are in cahoots now, plotting a series of unfortunate events. Events so unfortunate, so ghastly, that the great G Callen will not even see them coming."

"Are you still drunk Eric?" Deeks inquired conversationally, helping Callen look for his pants.

"A little bit." Eric said, and proceeded to grab a champagne bottle and march to the bathroom.

"Anyway," Katie said, rolling her blue eyes at Eric's retreating figure, "why exactly are you guys in my hotel room? You had your own. I was sharing with Nell, who as far as I can tell, is nowhere to be found. This is turning into _The Hangover_ way too quickly."

"She's probably getting breakfast, or lunch as the case may be. We'll call her cell phone and find her. Really Katie, it's as though I don't even know you anymore." Deeks smirked at the brunette, who threw a pillow at Deeks. "I actually wanted a pillow, thank you."

"I'll call Nell, you find my pants. This pillow is getting awkward to hold." Callen stated as he dialed Nell's phone number. "It went straight to voicemail. Throw me and Sam a water bottle each, would you."

"Maybe they're together because Kensi's went to voicemail as well when I called her." Deeks informed the Agents as he dug into the mini-fridge and pulled out the bottles. "So what exactly are you guys doing in Katie's room?"

"Well as far as I remember, we all arrived around 2am after your phone call. We were all together at Pure and then Katie and Kensi decided to play 'The Double K Shot Session' around 3:30am. What that game involved, I don't want to know. But they must have gone to your room to finish their game because at 4am we left Pure Nightclub and those two weren't with us, and that's all I remember." Sam explained, drinking his water with reckless abandon.

"Then we went to another club, Chateau, I believe. And I remember a birthday party was going on. Which may explain the cake on Sam's face and my tiara, which, I will have you all know, is rather distinguished." Callen said, trying to threaten the team, but failing miserably due to his hung-over façade.

"Charming," Katie retorted, as she returned from her sweep of hotel room, "but your pants are not here. I suggest we look in your room; maybe we'll have better luck there. And perhaps I'll be able to take a shower there."

"What about your bathroom?" Deeks asked, organizing the sheets before housekeeping arrived.

"Eric is in there. Passed out, in the bathtub." Katie told him simply, and walked out the door, toiletry bag and spare clothes in hand.

LALALA

"Well at least this room is organized. I'll be right back." Katie told the men as she walked to the bathroom and shut the door with a sweep of her brown hair.

"You know you're lucky Callen? That your room is only down the hall from the girls? Imagine if it was on a different floor and you had to ride the elevator with no pants on." Deeks laughed as he lay on the bed, drinking what seemed like his thirtieth bottle of water.

"I _will_ shoot you if you don't find my pants Deeks." Callen muttered, as he looked for his clothes.

"Found them!" Sam called from inside one of the closets and tossed Callen his pants. "Why on earth would you not bring a spare pair to Las Vegas G? Common sense dictates that you do."

"Well after Deeks' phone call to 'come to Vegas right away because it's the most important thing ever' I didn't really think about bringing a spare pair Sam." Callen countered, as he got dressed. "What is in my back pocket?" What the NCIS Agent pulled out of his pocket, none of them expected: an engagement ring, a very beautiful looking engagement ring. A single decently sized diamond was set in the center with a silver band holding it in place, on the rim of the band were the letters "K + D".

"Is that what I think it is?" Katie screamed as she exited the bathroom and ran towards Deeks and threw her arms around him, clad in a dark pink polo shirt and faded blue skinny jeans. "This is awesome. Congratulations Marty!"

"I didn't do anything though. At least, I don't think I did." Deeks replied, looking thoroughly confused at the ring that Callen had placed into his hand. Catching the group's bemused expressions, he backtracked, "I do _want_ to propose, but I was thinking of doing it later. So we could have some time to date each other."

"Who cares when you do it? You don't have to get married _right_ away. I think that proposing now is a great idea. You've been talking about Kensi from the first day you met her as Jason." Katie interjected, with her hands on her hips, channeling Kensi's death-glare.

"I'd listen to her Deeks. She may be young, but she has that Kensi Blye look going that could kill someone." Callen told the detective, looking at Katie with an unreadable expression.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Deeks knew that he could easily propose to Kensi now. But he wanted her to have some element of a normal relationship and people did date for a while before they got engaged. Their entire relationship was the definition of abnormal ever since they first met: abnormal as partners, as a couple, abnormal as everything. Perhaps he should propose, after all, he did have a ring. Sighing, he looked up, "Alright, I'll think about."

"Guys, it's great that Deeks wants to propose but we still have to find Nell and Kensi." Sam stated, coming out of the bathroom freshly changed.

"I know where milady is! I ran throughout the whole hotel and I found her!" Eric yelled as he ran into the room, waving frantically and running towards the door. "Also, I _love_ free espresso!"

LALALA

The hacker led the group to the lobby where Nell was casually sitting on a couch with Kensi. Both looked rather tired and tousled but at least managed to change their clothes from the night before. Nell walked up to Deeks, grabbed his hand and took him to the main desk, out of earshot. "Seriously did you _forget_ about the plan?" Nell hissed at Deeks, looking comically angry due to her small stature.

"What plan? Nell I don't remember _anything_ from last night." Deeks replied, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"When you called everyone to come here, you specifically told me to keep Kensi occupied so you could get the ring and to meet here at 4pm. You said that you had enough of waiting and needed to propose to her. Of course, keeping up with a drunk Katie and Kensi is a task that involves more than one person. I lost them when they went to play their shooter game but luckily my phone and Kensi's phone still had some battery life so I managed to call her and made sure that her and Katie stayed put. Then we all went to that birthday party and you bought the ring. Naturally, when they returned to their room, the boys turned it into a competition: what would be more embarrassing, not having pants all or having cake on your face? I personally think Callen won. At any rate, you wanted to keep the ring somewhere safe, and Callen's pants were deemed the safest. So then the boys decided to stay with me in my room overnight, for reasons I still do not understand, and you went back to your room. When I woke up, I went to your room with your extra hotel key card and took Kensi out of the room. Of course to add complete chaos to this, both our phones died and we didn't have chargers. You're only 30 minutes late, congratulations." Nell explained, looking slightly out of breath after her long speech.

"That sounds like quite the night." Deeks mused, running a hand through his hair. "I can't thank you enough Nell, at least you were somewhat sober. You kept this crazy train from derailing."

"It's no problem, I know how important this is to you." Nell responded, smiling slightly. "So what are you waiting for?"

Grinning, Deeks nodded his thanks and ran up to Kensi, who looked like she was about to rip him a new one when he got down on one knee. "Kensi Marie Blye, I love you. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Originally, I was going to have an elaborate speech prepared, but now that idea is out the door. Make me the happiest man on earth and marry me. Marry me, and I'll try to make everyday happier than the next." Deeks said, silently presenting Kensi with the engagement ring, his blue eyes hopeful.

"Yes." Kensi smiled as Deeks placed the ring on her finger, "I would love to marry you."

LALALA

Hi! This is easily my favorite chapter that I have written to date. It was fun, comical and of course, a proposal. I hope that you all enjoyed it. In my mind, Deeks doesn't need to give Kensi a long speech about why he loves her, she already knows. And yes, I do love _The Hangover_; it's a great movie. Thank you all again for your reviews! They're amazing. Up next Friday: "Puppy".


	14. Puppy

**Puppy**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"Come on Kensi, you have to pick one. This is ridiculous." Deeks whined to his fiancée who picked up what was conceivably the hundredth puppy in the pet store.

"Deeks, this is not something that should to be taken lightly. This is our first pet together as an engaged couple. Plus have you even thought about Monty? The new puppy needs to be able to get along with him as well." Kensi replied, not missing a beat.

"This is worse than you picking outfits for a night out." Deeks muttered under his breath.

"What's that now?" Kensi asked as she whipped around, her mismatched eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nothing, nothing," Deeks said, effectively ending the conversation, "just apologizing at the end of every discussion. A quintessential element of any conversation you and I share."

"I swear sometimes you just talk to hear the sound of your own voice." Kensi said as she picked up a golden retriever puppy, receiving a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"You love it, Fern. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said yes to marrying me." Deeks declared, looking completely triumphant at the current turn the conversation had taken.

"Yeah, yeah." Kensi muttered, looking around at the puppies again. Secretly, she knew that Deeks was right. That was one of the many reasons that she said yes to his proposal in Las Vegas. She could not _imagine_ living without him. Somehow the LAPD liaison had wormed his way into her heart and had never let go. Although she would never admit this, to anyone, she caught herself admiring her engagement ring many times throughout the day. She loved that Deeks engraved their initials on the band. Her father would have loved the detective as a future son-in-law.

"Kensi, Angelfish, Love-of-my-Life, I think that we have a winner." Deeks called out from down the cages, "What do you think of her?" Deeks said, pointing at a Siberian husky. The puppy had white fur with a light coffee color surrounding her ears and all four legs. But what drew Kensi to the dog was he eyes: they were mismatched, just like hers, one blue and one green.

"Well spotted Deeks." Kensi smiled as she picked up the puppy. The little dog immediately sniffed at Kensi's hands and clearly deciding that she was liked the human holding her, wagged her tail affectionately. "She's the one."

"Let me hold her." Deeks prompted, and held out his hands to embrace the dog. The puppy also decided that she liked Deeks and squirmed around as he held her, licking his face. "She needs a name."

"Azure. Her name is Azure." Kensi immediately responded, "Her eyes make her special, so her name has to justify that."

"Azure," Deeks said, testing out the name "sounds decent. She's quite the ball of energy. Keeps moving around all the time. Monty will like her, I'm sure."

The couple walked to the assistant who was circulating around the store and asked for various collars, dog food and food bowls. The assistant also gave the pair the name of a good veterinarian and a document validating that Azure had received all of her shots. Grinning from ear to ear, Deeks paid for everything, scooped up the puppy and ran for the door, running into the late afternoon sunlight.

"Deeks! You're going to scare her and we haven't even arrived home yet!" Kensi yelled as she ran to catch up to her fiancé.

"Chill Kensi, she's fine." Deeks said to her as he placed the puppy in the backseat with Kensi. "I'll drive slowly, promise."

LALALA

"I'll bet you $20 that Deeks will pay for everything for the dog, _and_ let Kensi have the final say in the breed." Eric muttered to Nell as they hacked the Pentagon.

"You keep your money Eric. Save it for something important, like, say, buying me dinner." Nell smirked at him, her fingers racing across the keyboard.

"Do pay attention to what you're doing Mr. Beale. You already broke the Internet once and I had to deal with absolute hell from Leon for over a month." Hetty stated as she walked into the large room, Callen and Sam trailing behind her.

"Sorry Hetty," Eric apologized, turning towards Nell he murmured, "all she needs is a monkey and it'll be like that nightmare I always had."

"I heard that Mr. Beale." Hetty declared as she sat down and began to analyze the various case files on the big screen, leaving Sam and Callen quietly smirking behind her.

"Quit while you're ahead." Nell advised her boyfriend as she successfully broke through the final firewall.

LALALA

Later that night, a whining noise awoke Kensi. Stretching slightly, she jumped off the bed, leaving a snoring Deeks beside her. The detective had the innate ability to sleep through anything, probably owing to living in California his whole life. Stumbling slightly in the dark, the brunette walked throughout the door. Kensi walked into the living room where Monty was sleeping in a patch of moonlight by the door, in the exact same position as his owner: on his back with his legs sprawled out around him. Squinting through the darkness, Kensi saw that Azure was lying in her bed. The second the puppy saw her owner, the whining stopped and she sat up, tail wagging. "Come here." Kensi whispered to the dog, which walked over to her and sat beside her on the floor. "You can't sleep by yourself, can you?" Azure tilted her head to the side and quickly licked Kensi's palm. "Well the thing is, we can't have you sleeping in our bed, it won't teach proper manners, and you'll expect to always sleep in our bed. And Monty likes sleeping alone on the floor. So we have a bit of a problem."

"We could let her stay with us, just this once." Deeks said as he walked into the living room, hair tousled and pajamas wrinkled. "She's not used to being by herself in a new environment." Azure trotted over to Deeks as he finished speaking and nuzzled his hand affectionately. "See, she completely agrees with me. This dog is a genius."

"I don't want her getting used to sleeping in our bed. I want her to be properly trained." Kensi replied, running a hand through her messy hair.

"Come on, Kensi. Just this once." Deeks said pouting slightly as he picked up the puppy and held her securely to his chest.

Kensi's heart immediately melted at the site before her. Deeks was unbelievable with animals and children. Kensi knew that Deeks would be an ideal father to their own children, when the time came. Smiling slightly, she patted Azure on the head, "Just for tonight." And with that, she walked towards the bedroom, Deeks and their beloved new addition following her.

LALALA

I'm so sorry for not updating last week guys! I was throwing up on Friday and then Easter and finally studying throughout the week- I have many exams coming up in April. Sorry again! This won't happen again. Thank you again for your lovely reviews and be on the lookout for next week's update "Dresses".


	15. Dresses

**Dresses**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"This boys, is absolute heaven. Poker, pizza and beer." Callen said, smirking up at Deeks, "By the way, I know you're bluffing: you got nothing."

"I respectfully disagree sir." Deeks countered, placing his cards on the table and grinning, "Straight, in diamonds."

"Hold on Deeks." Eric interjected, causing Deeks to pause grabbing the cash on the table, "Royal Flush, my dear fellows. Meet the whole Royal Family of Hearts."

"You're all cheaters." Sam muttered, watching Eric gather the bills and coins on the table. The four men had gathered together at Deeks' apartment to play poker, or in Sam's case, lose his money at an alarmingly fast rate. Sensing that Michelle would rip him a new one if he kept playing, Sam decided to shift the focus of the afternoon. "So Deeks, Kensi and girls are looking at dresses. That _has_ to have you stressed."

"Not really Sam. Kensi will get whatever dress she decides. She'll look beautiful either way to me." Deeks replied simply, looking bemused at the current topic of conversation. "Where did you pull this topic of conversation from? And more appropriately, why?"

"Because he's down to roughly $50 and Michelle will go CIA on his ass if he keeps playing." Callen informed the detective, sipping on his Heineken and looking innocently at his partner.

"Be thankful Wyatt has rounds today Sam." Eric said as he started to deal the group in, pushing his glasses slightly higher up his nose.

"Explain please Eric." Sam told the hacker as he picked up his cards and threw in $10 for the buy-in.

Taking a quick look at his cards, Eric clarified, "Because my kid brother is a champion poker player. That is how he's paying for medical school: gambling. My mom hated it in the beginning but now she loves it, he pretty much has everything set financially. Anyway, the point is, Wyatt would totally own you."

LALALA

Meanwhile, on the other side of LA, Nell was watching Kensi and Katie have a battle in the middle of the dress shop. She knew that Kensi was carrying, but the redhead idly wondered if Katie's medical knowledge could stand up in a fight with Kensi. The two usually agreed on fashion but something was just not working between the brunettes today. Perhaps the stress of being a bride was finally getting to Kensi, or perhaps Katie's refusal to wear pastel. Either way, the two were toe-to-toe, staring each other down, determined not to give in. Nell secretly wished that she were with Michelle, who was taking her daughter to ballet lessons.

"Kensi, this dress is ridiculous." Katie said, practically seething.

"Katie, it's not your wedding." Kensi replied, glowering at the younger girl.

"Kensi, I don't care that it isn't my wedding. I'm not wearing this dress. I look like a peach pie." Katie retorted, blue eyes flashing.

"Katie, you'll look like a peach pie and you'll like it. Unless you don't want to be in the wedding." Kensi told her, holding a pair of matching shoes in her hand.

"At least get me beige shoes and a headband, then I'll look like pie and vanilla ice cream." Katie muttered, finally backing down out of sheer exhaustion.

"Vanilla ice cream? And pie? That's the best comeback you've got?" Kensi responded, a smile growing on her face.

"Well I can't think of anything too original. We've been to like five dress shops, my feet hurt." Katie answered, smiling in response to Kensi and holding her arms out for a hug. "Truce?"

"Truce." Kensi laughed, hugging the medical student. "I think that the stress of it all is finally hitting me. At least we have Nell, who is the greatest wedding planner and maid of honor ever."

"I haven't done anything yet. So no need for flattery of any type." Nell was quick to reply. Being the maid of honor was one thing; she was thrilled to do it. But the Intelligence Analyst wasn't even perfectly sure how she got roped into being the wedding planner. All that happened was that the redhead offered to help anyway that she could. And then Deeks naturally had to mention how organized she always was, which caused Kensi to beg for Nell to help with the wedding planning. Shaking her head slightly, Nell walked away from the pair and began to analyze other dresses. Her eyes settled on a strapless navy blue silk dress with a small silver belt as an accent piece. The dress was loose and wavy, perfect for any wedding in Los Angeles. Picking it up off the rack, Nell returned to the other women who were now currently discussing Azure, Katie's new beach buddy. "For a Siberian husky, she really likes the ocean." Katie said to Kensi, who nodded affirmatively.

"Ladies, call off the witch hunt. I have the bridal party's dress." Nell announced, holding the piece in front of the brunettes.

"Finally! A normal dress! Heaven has smiled down upon us." Katie yelled, smiling upwards.

"You've been around Deeks for too long, you know that right?" Kensi stated, admiring the dress in Nell's hand. "Sometimes I swear you talk _just_ like him."

"Or he talks just like I do." Katie countered, running her fingers through the soft material. "This dress is amazing. And it's on sale, which means you have to buy it. Although we should ask the manager if there are anymore in the back of the store, or if they can possibly order more for us."

The women moved towards the front of the store and asked the manager if there were more dresses in storage. The older woman, named Holly, scanned the serial number, assured them that there were many more dresses and walked towards the back.

"Well that was as painful as the thought it would be." Nell mumbled to herself as she took a sip of water from the bottle in her purse, reveling in the silence.

"I have the sizes for the bridal party dresses you requested Ms. Blye. I also found this wedding dress and I believe it is your size. Would you like to try it on?" Holly asked, placing a dress in Kensi's arms. The dress was beautifully crafted, with an air of simplicity. It was a princess style dress with slight beading around the bodice, a pale beige silk belt running around the waistline and with a sheer white lace covering the soft silk underneath. Paired with the dress was a small tiara and a veil made of white lace. Holly also placed a pair of white heels on top of the dress and ushered Kensi into the changing room.

"She didn't even complain." Nell mused as Katie attempted to hide her laugh behind a cough.

"I heard that." Kensi snapped from behind the curtain, wrapping the silk around her waist. She placed the tiara and veil on her head and shoes on her feet. Stepping out from behind the curtain, she stood on the stand in front of the other two, who were rendered speechless. "Is it _that_ bad?"

Katie recovered first, "No! Not even! It's beautiful. Kensi, if you don't buy this dress, I'll complain the _whole_ way home. And don't think I won't, my feet still hurt and I have a pharmacology exam next week. It'll be worse than any toddler."

"And you want to be a doctor?" Nell grinned at Katie, who shot her a look of pure confusion. Looking back at Kensi, "You look wonderful. Like a princess, which is fitting because Deeks is like your Prince Charming."

What took place after neither Katie or Nell expected. A lone tear escaped from Kensi's eye and made its way down her cheek. Softly smiling at the pair, she walked in their direction, wrapped her arms around them and whispered. "Thank you."

LALALA

"Would you like doughnuts or cupcakes for our movie marathon?" Deeks inquired hours later, placing a cup of tea in front of his fiancée.

"Is that even a question? You really should know better than that _detective_." Kensi answered, rolling her eyes at him.

"Both it is then." Deeks said, walking back towards the kitchen. "So did you girls find everything you wanted?"

"Yes, it's all ready. And no, you will not be seeing the dress and you will not be able to find it, so don't even bother to look." Kensi called, stroking Azure's soft fur as the dog laid her head on Kensi's lap.

"Is that a challenge?" Deeks questioned as he sat on the floor, putting the sweet treats within Kensi's reach.

"If you're willing to go up against Hetty, then yes, it can be. Although, personally, I wouldn't try it." Kensi told him, plucking a chocolate cupcake off the plate and licking off the frosting.

Deeks noticeably blanched and weakly nodded. "I'll wait till the wedding. Also, playing poker against Sam is absolutely the greatest thing ever; he just can't win a hand. And Eric is a card shark, must have learned from Wyatt."

"I'll play poker with you." Kensi offered, grabbing the deck of cards from the table and moving Azure to her bed. "But it's a special type of poker."

"Go on." Deeks commented, looking interested at this turn of events.

"You lose a hand, you lose an article of clothing." Kensi told him, grinning slyly as she shuffled the deck.

"Cover your eyes Azure." Deeks told the puppy, as Kensi placed a card in front of him.

LALALA

You guys are all amazing! I cannot thank you enough. I loved your reviews; they were absolutely the nicest things I've ever read. You are all too kind! Next week: "Water Park".


	16. Water Park

**Water Park**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARCTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"Marty if you don't put me down _right_ now, I'm never going to stitch you together when you come into the ER." Katie screamed, limbs flailing about.

"You want to be a cardiologist Katie. Your threats are void here." Deeks smirked, dodging one of Katie's elbows as she attempted to hit him in the face.

"Maybe you should put her down Marty, she can be frightening sometimes. There's this look that reminds me of when Mom used to catch Eric or myself lying to her as kids. Katie totally is rocking that." Wyatt supplied, water dripping off of his blond hair.

"I don't understand what you guys are afraid of. It's Katie; she's the most non-violent person that ever was. Except for right now, now she's being just ridiculous. You know Wyatt, when she was a kid, I used to buy a chocolate ice cream cone and she would just hush up. Doubt that plan is still going to work today." Deeks stated, still casually holding Katie over his shoulder like it was an everyday occurrence.

"The entire water park is looking at you right now Deeks. And I'm pretty sure that they all think you've lost your mind." Kensi said, wading over to the three in the wave pool. When Deeks first proposed the idea of going to the water park on Saturday, Kensi was slightly apprehensive. Deeks and child-based activities usually meant a calamity. Deeks, water and child-based activities spelled all out chaos. Adding Katie, Wyatt and the entire team to the mix did not help the situation. Privately she thought that Hetty had the right idea in staying at home, citing her explicit need to catch up on paper work. "Deeks seriously put her down. She is going to poke your eye out and you are _guaranteed_ to come to me about it and complain for days."

"Fine, I'll put her down." Deeks muttered, neatly flinging Katie into deeper water. The brunette surfaced after a few seconds, threw Deeks a not-so-friendly look, and swam away with Wyatt. "Those crazy kids. But hold on a second, Angelfish, what do you mean complain for _days_? Maybe like one, two days max."

The waves had started to get stronger and the force pushed Kensi against Deeks. Grinning slightly, she wrapped her arms around him, "Are you quite sure about that? So if you lose an eye, I'll only hear about it for 48 hours? No more? No less?"

"You have my word as a gentlemen." Deeks confirmed, wiping the water out of his eyes, "But you'll have to do one thing to make sure it will just be 48 hours."

"And what might that be?" Kensi asked, expecting to hear an obscenely kinky thing out of her fiancé's mouth.

"Kiss it to make it better." Deeks smiled, twirling the pair in the water, stumbling slightly as the waves hit their sides.

"You are _such_ a dork." Kensi told him, rolling her mismatched eyes.

LALALA

"This is _so_ relaxing. I think I have discovered paradise. And outside of technology, never thought that would actually happen." Eric sighed happily, as he and Nell floated slowly down the lazy river.

"It is rather nice, isn't it? Feels like we're in the tropics. Even though I guess you could consider LA to be somewhat tropical, at least in the summer, and early spring. Just not in the winter when it is cold and it rains." Nell replied, seemingly not out of breath at all after her quick rant.

"How do you do that?" Eric questioned, shifting his eyes in her direction, watching curiously.

"Do what exactly?" Nell asked, the sun shining off of her red hair, making it glow.

"Talk so rapidly without taking a breath. It's amazing, to be quite honest. I've only ever seen Deeks talk more than you." Eric replied, his fingers tracing small circles in the water.

"Well I'm the youngest out of four kids. I had to have my voice heard somehow. Probably why I'm so neurotic and organized as well, come to think of it. I remember when I was about six, Rachel my older sister, took my favorite Barbie and cut her hair off. So I went to my mom but she was dealing with my twin brothers, Luke and James, who fighting over which Star Wars to watch. Then I went to my dad but naturally he was watching soccer in the family room with the volume on really loud. At this point I was rather frustrated, so I went to the garage and turned on the car alarms. Everyone came running and I explained what happened. Eventually, it all got sorted out."

"Eventually?" Eric inquired, not liking the current direction of the conversation.

"Well my mom grounded me for pulling the alarms for two days. But Rachel got a week for cutting off my Barbie's hair. It was awesome." Nell remarked, fixing her sunglasses and lying back to face the sun.

"I could not be _more_ happy I only have one sibling right now." Eric muttered as he grabbed Nell's hand, feeling the light current pull them along.

LALALA

"I don't want to watch this movie. It's for kids, I'm not a kid." Deeks pouted around 7pm, crossing his arms across his chest, looking about seven years old.

"Well Hailey is here now, so it _has_ to be a kid's movie, Deeks. Perhaps you'll actually understand it and not ask us every five minutes who did what and why and how." Callen told the detective as he opened a juice box for Sam's daughter.

"Thanks Uncle G." Hailey said, smiling up at Callen from her picnic seat, her pigtails bobbing up and down.

"No worries Hailey." Callen responded, pulling a water bottle out of cooler. "We seem to do more picnics recently."

"I think it's fun." Nell said, munching on her pizza. "And I can't believe that this water park has a drive-in movie theatre, this is straight from the 50s. All we need are poodle skirts, the boys could get Elvis wigs and we're set."

"Could we do the 60s perhaps?" Katie asked, strolling with Wyatt towards the gathered group. "I'm a huge Beatles fan and June 1967 was _the_ year of amazing music. Sgt. Pepper's was just wow. Still is, even today, but with the technology they had to make an album like that, it is just astounding. And that alarm clock, seriously, it's in the greatest spot within that song: a perfect bridge."

"Sorry about her, she tends to ramble about the Beatles and England in general. Slightly obsessed." Deeks announced to the group, earning another rather negative look from Katie. "Love you Katie."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware." Katie stated, eating her sandwich and quickly stealing some fries off of Deeks' plate. "I think the movie is starting soon, it's getting dark. We're going to head over to my car. Oh and Marty, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is _not_ for kids."

"She's right Deeks. Harry Potter is for all ages." Sam said, gathering Hailey's things before walking to the Challenger.

"I can never win." Deeks sighed to Kensi, who was desperately trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Just you and how you interact with people. It's refreshing, innocent. You're special Marty Deeks." Kensi murmured, leading him towards her car.

"Well as long as I'm special, I believe that entitles me to some time with _very special_ Junior NCIS Agent Kensi Blye. It would only be fitting that two special individuals such as ourselves would be together." Deeks announced as he opened Kensi's door.

"That can be arranged Detective." Kensi grinned, pulling him into a deep kiss.

LALALA

Hi! I do love the Beatles, and Harry Potter. Thought I'd throw those two things into this chapter. Thank you all again for your reviews! Seriously you guys make me smile. I love hearing that you guys like my work. I'm truly honored because I've never considered that great of a writer, as there are countless of other people much more talented than myself. I just write what feels natural. Up next: "Thunderstorm."

PS. Could we maybe get to 100 reviews before chapter 20? Thank you!


	17. Thunderstorm

**Thunderstorm**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"It's ok Azure, it's just a thunderstorm. It'll pass soon. And Kensi will be back from her mother's and we'll all go for a nice walk together." Deeks comforted the scared puppy as a thunderstorm made its way throughout Los Angeles. Of course the weatherman predicted a sunny day. Wrong, so wrong, once again. Deeks loved thunderstorms, even as a child. There was something about the majestic power of nature that amazed him. Whenever flashes of lightening lit up the sky and thunder boomed, he would stand mesmerized by the window. As he got older, he learned to associate a thunderstorm with good things, as his father had the uncanny ability to pass out from drinking right before a storm. This would leave Deeks to escape into a world of his own; one that didn't involved a depressed mother and a deadbeat dad. His musings were cut short by the sound of his ringing cell phone. "Kensi my darling dearest, as much as I love you, you know that talking on the phone while driving is illegal."

"Deeks, I'm a federal agent." Kensi retorted, navigating the slippery roads as she made her way home.

"Fair point, Angelfish. Where are you?" Deeks asked his fiancée, hugging his scared puppy to his chest. Azure blinked her mismatched eyes up at him and licked his cheek, trembling less in his arms.

"I'm close by, traffic is absolutely crazy though. I can barely see across my windshield to be honest with you. Might take me at least an hour to get back home." Kensi replied as a flash of lightening lit up the Pacific Ocean.

"Well drive carefully. And call me if you need anything. This is exactly why I had you charge your phone last night, I can sense these things." Deeks told her, reviling in the sound of the thunder.

"Yeah, I know. You were right." Kensi replied, standing at the intersection, waiting for the light to turn green.

"I'm sorry, I was what?" Deeks questioned, thoroughly shocked at Kensi's admission.

"Don't let it go to your head, Deeks. Love you." Kensi grinned, hanging up the phone.

"That's something that doesn't happen everyday." Deeks smiled, scratching Azure behind the ears. He was still grinning when the lights flickered and suddenly turned off, plunging the apartment into a dim grey light. "_That_ also does not happen daily. I'll be back Azure, have to check the fuse box."

LALALA

Callen _hated_ thunderstorms. He just didn't appreciate the noise, the bright flashes, or the air of anxiety that followed a storm. It was too chaotic, much like his life. Callen thrived on control, and a thunderstorm was the polar opposite of control. The Agent was sitting in his dark house by the fireplace, watching the flames dance and illuminate the room. At least he was ready for a power outage, fully stocked on food, water and supplies. Standing up, he took the brass container off the mantle and opened it. Picking up the tin solider, he gazed at it intently, as if hoping it would offer him some information about his past. A knock at his door broke his train of thought, and he made his way to the door, tossing the solider into the container. A flash of lightening momentarily blinded him as he opened the door. Regaining his sight, he saw that a shivering Katie was at the door, completely drenched from head to foot. "I'm so sorry Callen. I didn't mean to just appear out of nowhere, but I can't drive in this storm. And your house was close by, so I took a chance and thought maybe you'd be home. It's crazy seriously, I got drenched running to my car, and just now. Like seriously, what is going on?" Katie ranted, thoroughly annoyed at her current situation, she nodded gratefully as Callen lead her inside.

"I believe they call it global warming Katie." Callen smiled, leaving Katie bemused.

"Did you just make a joke?" Katie asked, wringing the water out of her brown hair.

"Why does everyone find that _so_ shocking? I'm a funny guy." Callen told the brunette, throwing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt towards her. "There's a spare towel in the drawer in the bathroom."

"Thank you Callen." Katie replied, as she walked to the bathroom, shivers running through her body.

As she closed the door, Callen immediately could tell that something was off. Katie was someone who enjoyed following a schedule. He truly couldn't blame the girl, with her constant workload at school and her personal life she needed it. As such, certain things in this situation did not add up. Katie lived close to the main hospital and surrounding campus of UCLA Medical School, as did Wyatt. And Callen's house was completely in the other direction. It would make sense that since Katie was coming from Venice Beach from her Saturday morning surfing session, she would be driving away from Callen's apartment. Glancing briefly towards her car, he saw her purple surfboard on the top of the vehicle. So the brunette did go surfing, but what did she do after?

"Thanks so much Callen, I really appreciate it. It's insane to drive in that weather. I'm not really a fan of storms, unlike Marty." Katie said as she sat down beside him on the rug.

"What's going on Katie?" Callen inquired, avoiding all prerequisites, and getting straight to the point.

"Sorry?" Katie asked, looking perplexed as though she didn't understand the question.

"You're too smart for that dumb act. I'll ask you again, what's going on?" Callen questioned, unleashing the force of his blue eyes on the student, much like he would during interrogation.

"Nothing is going on. I didn't want to drive in the rain so I came here. If it's such a problem, I'll leave." Katie snapped at him, matching his look with one of her own.

"You can drive in the rain, that's a bullshit excuse. And don't pull that melodramatic act on me. You know you can stay. But my house is in the opposite direction to yours coming from Venice. Why would you waste time to come here?" Callen responded, holding her angry gaze coolly.

"I wasn't coming back from Venice, at least not directly." Katie murmured, breaking the staring contest, fixing her eyes on the dancing flames.

"From where then?" Callen asked, his voice quieter and his blue eyes softening.

"The hospital." Katie muttered, her blue eyes glazing over with unshed tears. "One of my favorite patients, Mrs. Peterson, in the cardiology ward died today. Her tests came back negative for sepsis yesterday and she looked to be improving. Today, she passed. I know I have to get used to this, but Mrs. Peterson was always so nice to all of the students, she didn't have a problem with us examining her and asking her questions. She was the one who encouraged me to say yes to going out with Wyatt. She told me to open my heart to things that might frighten me and not to stay in my comfort zone. I thanked her for her advice but I never really _thanked _her, if you understand what I mean. She deserved more than just a simple thank you."

"She knew how thankful you were, I'm sure of it." Callen told her, slightly surprised when she rested her head on his shoulder, an action she generally reserved for Deeks. "This isn't a mark of weakness, being upset that she's gone. You're human, not a robot. I'd be more concerned if you didn't care and just went on with your day."

"Callen?" Katie mumbled, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

"Yes?" Callen questioned, mentally wincing at the sound of the thunder.

"I've _never_ heard you talk so much. Thank you." Katie smiled, her eyes becoming a brilliant blue as a flash of lightening lit up the room.

LALALA

"Monty, stop pawing at the window. I can't let you out. You'll smell like wet dog. And then Kensi will send you to that crazy dog groomer, you know the one I'm talking about: with blue hair." Deeks said to his dog, who promptly walked away from the door, looking dejected.

"Deeks?" Kensi called out from the front door, leaving her wet jacket on a hanger. "Seriously that took well over an hour. But the good news is my mother is thrilled about the wedding. She wants to contribute too, and why is my apartment OCD level clean?" Kensi looked around her apartment in concern, entertaining the idea that Deeks' love of Disney was so strong it brought him a real fairy godmother, who cleaned the whole apartment.

"I had nothing else to do, so I cleaned your whole apartment. Did you know that the original color of your hallway carpet is pink and not deep red? Because let me tell you, I didn't." Deeks smirked at his fiancée, kissing her cheek.

"Hilarious," Kensi quipped, "but there's no power and the storm is still happening. What's there to do besides watch the dogs sleep?"

"Come with me." Deeks told her as he took her hand and lead her to the window. "Watch the storm with me. It's phenomenal isn't it? The power of nature is something else."

"That's not the whole story I'm assuming." Kensi answered, watching a lightening blot streak towards the north.

"Nope, it was one of escapes as a kid. A storm was like a different world to me: powerful, beautiful and filled with emotion. It's like being with you Kensi. You're absolutely amazing to me in everyway. You light up my life like lightening. You crashed into my heart like thunder. We're so different, yet perfect for each other." Deeks replied, playing with a loose curl.

Without saying a word, Kensi stood up, walked to the fridge and poured two glasses of wine. Returning, she placed a glass into Deeks' hand and raised her own with a smile. "To being the perfect storm."

LALALA

Hi! What did you all think? I haven't had Katie/Callen interaction so I thought that would be interesting. I also thought that a thunderstorm would be a decent angle to try. Thanks again for the reviews! Please keep them coming! And to any new readers out there, please, take the time to review. Also- the next update shall appear on Monday. I'm going on a trip on Tuesday and won't have Internet, so the update will be earlier ("Skiing"). To BrunoMars: if you would like to get me up to 100 reviews by chapter 20, that's totally cool with me .


	18. Skiing

**Skiing**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"Kensi, I'm going to fall." Deeks whined to his fiancée as he stood precariously on the mountaintop.

"Deeks, I promise you that you _will_ not fall. And if you do, you have a helmet to protect your head." Kensi answered, rolling her eyes at the blond detective.

"I'm not a fan of this helmet Kensi. It's going to give me helmet hair and that is seriously a crime against nature: Marty Deeks with bad hair." Deeks grinned, his blue eye dancing.

"You always look like you have helmet hair going on. And, come to think of it, I haven't seen you brush your hair in days. Are you going hardcore hippie on me?" Kensi retorted, wanting desperately to go skiing down the hill.

"Me? A hippie? Kensi please. I am extremely 'method' when I go undercover, but a hippie? I have no use to channel such a mindset. Nothing against hippies, mind you. Actually, speaking of going undercover, my favorite alias was Justin. What about you?" Deeks questioned, effectively stalling for time by going off on a tangent.

"Deeks, stop wasting time. You are going down this hill, even if I have to push you down myself. And don't think I won't." Kensi replied, fighting the urge to force Deeks down the mountain. "Actually, now that I think about it, what are you scared of? You surf daily, in the ocean, where there are currents and deep water."

"That's the ocean Angelfish. I am one with the ocean, just as the ocean is one with me. It is a relationship as old as time itself." Deeks smiled, and Kensi was momentarily blinded at vivid blue of his eyes.

"Alright," she said, shaking her head a little to focus on the slope and not how attractive Deeks was, "I'm going. I'll see you down there. And to answer your question: you know perfectly well that it was being Melissa. Although honestly _Justin_, I was not a fan of you rifling through my underwear."

"But Kensi!" Deeks called out, watching her brunette hair fan out behind her as she skied down the hill. "I can do this. I can do this." Deeks told himself over and over, but his muscles made no move to head down the mountain. Seeing other people coming off the ski lift, he moved out of the way, repeating his mantra over and over.

LALALA

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, the team was not having the best day. An unknown gunman had attacked Kim Summers, a popular and highly paid lawyer who was in the running to become a judge for the State. Summers had luckily only been shot in the upper arm, and the bullet had just missed her brachial artery and she was recuperating in the hospital. It wasn't the shooting that had unnerved NCIS; it was the total lack of intelligence on the subject. Summers had absolutely no criminal record, or ties to any illegal activity. Nor did she ruffle to many feathers on the stand. So why she was targeted, the team had no idea. To make matters worse, the gunman's face was entirely obscured within every camera angle reviewed.

"This is ridiculous. I can't find anything. I think I'm loosing my touch Nell. Eric Beale has lost his gift with technology, this a sad day for humanity." Eric lamented to his girlfriend, who was about to comfort him when Hetty walked through the doors.

"Be reasonable Mr. Beale. You are still as competent and well versed in technology as you were yesterday. Consider our case at hand, there are not many clues to go on." Hetty stated as her eyes swept across the big screen, looking for answers.

"Hetty's right." Callen said, as he and Sam entered the room, "I think that you're expecting to get answers too quickly Eric. Some cases take some extra digging and patience to solve."

"How very Zen of you G." Sam commented, smirking at his partner. "But he's right, we need to look deeper into Summers' background. Where she went to school, who her parents were, what kind of friends did she have?"

"Easier said then done Sam, she moved around a lot. But the dynamic duo of Beale and Jones is on the case." Nell declared, grabbing Eric by the arm and pulling him towards the computers.

"Why do I get the feeling that this case is going to get worse before it gets better?" Sam inquired as he and Callen walked towards the shooting range.

"For the same reason that I did: Hetty hasn't boiled a fresh pot of tea since intelligence arrived this morning." Callen answered, placing the headphones over his ears and aiming the weapon.

LALALA

"Hey, are you ok?" a voice asked. Deeks looked up and stood face to face with a pretty blonde with hazel eyes, around his age.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just sort of stuck here. I can surf, taught my kid sister how to surf actually. But I'm not one for skiing. There's something unnerving about flying down a mountain at hundred miles an hour and potentially cracking your head open." Deeks replied, wishing desperately that Kensi wasn't stubborn as a mule and would come up here to be with him.

"I'm Kylie," she said smiling widely, "maybe I can help. I'm a ski instructor."

"Marty. And yeah, ok sure. That'd be a big help actually. My fiancée pretty much left me here." Deeks told her, anxiety creeping into his voice.

"So the idea is to remain calm. If you're not calm, you won't travel anywhere. You want to push the front of your skis sideways from the body. And that angle will be your direction of travel. Since you know how to surf, just use the same techniques to retain your balance and you should be fine." Kylie instructed, watching Deeks attempt to find his sense of tranquility.

"Calm. All right, I got it. I guess the hill isn't _that_ bad." Deeks answered, looking down the slope and suddenly not immobilized in terror. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem. But if you don't mind me asking, why did your fiancée leave you up here?" Kylie asked, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, eyeing the detective.

"She's headstrong. So we sometimes don't agree on things and moments like this happen. It's all good though, keeps me on my toes." Deeks said, slightly bemused as to why a complete stranger was asking him about his relationship.

"She's not asking in genuine kindness Deeks. She wants you. And let me tell you something Blondie: he's mine. Not yours, not anyone else's. So don't go asking questions that are not yours to ask. Go hit on a single guy and stop being a home wrecker." Kensi snapped at the blonde, appearing out of nowhere. Striding up to Deeks she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately.

"Let's go." Deeks murmured, feeling slightly dazed as he pushed off the hill.

"Bye Blondie." Kensi smirked, following after him down the mountain.

"Where did you come from?" Deeks asked as she stopped beside him on the bottom of the run.

"I decided to see what was taking so long. And then I saw that blonde hitting on you. That doesn't work in my book." Kensi stated, kissing him again. Deeks could have easily stood there for the rest of the day but they were interrupted by the sound of a ringing cell phone. "Blye. Yes. We're on our way."

"What's up?" Deeks questioned, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"We have to get to OSP. They need help with this new case ASAP." Kensi remarked, taking Deeks' hand as they made their way to the ski lodge.

LALALA

Hi! Surprise! I'm posting today. So what did you guys think? Kensi totally took Kylie down. And the case will be focused on heavily in the next few updates. Look for "Mission" to be online on May 10th! Thank you again for your reviews! If more people could review and comment I'd be grateful, I would like to know if you guys enjoy my work. Thank you again! I really appreciate it!

PS. To jmlane: in my mind Katie decided to go to Callen's because she thought that he would best be able to deal with the trauma of loosing someone. Katie considers Deeks to be a big brother still but she's aware that he has his own life and she doesn't want to intrude. I think subconsciously Katie is trying to learn how to be more stoic like Callen in preparation for her career in medicine. I hoped that helped!


	19. Mission

**Mission**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"Just shoot him. I don't understand why this is so difficult for you Tara, being a rogue cop. You what this nonsense with Summers to end, you have a make a statement with her colleague here. If you don't end him in ten seconds, than I will." Leonardo Gomez smirked, glaring at Kensi from across the room. "He's a worthless lawyer, they're all the same, sticking their noses in places they don't belong. I'll say it _one last time_. End him. Now."

Kensi stood frozen in place, the hand holding the gun shaking slightly. She could not pull the trigger. She would not pull the trigger. Bright blue eyes gazed up her, unwavering in their adoration. "I love you Kensi." Deeks whispered, a lone tear sliding down his face. "You have to do this, or he will kill _you_. The world cannot turn without Kensi Blye, resident ninja-badass."

Forcing her muscles to move, Kensi knelt down to his level, her face betraying no emotion to Leonardo. Once his head was covering hers, her eyes clouded over with unshed tears. "You're my everything." Kensi replied simply, agony pulsing in her voice, as she positioned her finger over the trigger. Silence took over the scene, and suddenly, without warning, a shot was fired.

LALALA – FLASHBACK

"Yes! I'm not the janitor anymore. Karma has spoken! Marty Deeks is moving on up in the world of aliases!" Deeks chanted, thoroughly enjoying his current predicament.

"And you're going to marry _him_? Really?" Callen asked Kensi, who was gathering intelligence about her alias, Tara Cooper, a rogue police officer.

"What can I tell you Callen? He's pretty amazing. Although I'm pretty sure that Azure is much better trained than he is." Kensi replied, smiling across the room at her fiancé who was in the process of becoming Brandon Wells, an attorney based within Kim Summers' law firm. "I'm liking the suit Brandon." Kensi called over to Deeks, a sly smile on her face.

"I'll ask Hetty if I can borrow it for a night out with my Princess." Deeks replied, sliding over to Kensi and wrapping her hand in his. "You guys are so lucky that I took the BAR exam and can use legal jargon."

"Jargon? I'm sure that word hasn't been around since you _took _the BAR exam Deeks." Sam commented, walking into the room, and stood next to Callen.

"Moving on, please. So when I can infiltrate this gang?" Kensi asked, throwing a black hoodie over her head, surveying her team members.

"Just as soon as Mr. Deeks joins the law firm Ms. Blye. I don't want both your entrances to be too close together or it might spook the leader of the organization." Hetty stated, as she glanced over at the pair's costumes. After a few sleepless nights, Eric and Nell had discovered a slight image of the suspect's head and had confirmed his identity as Joe Collins, a gun for hire. Sam and Callen had returned to where Summers was shot and discovered shell casings from a handgun that was generally found among gangs throughout the city. With Summers still the hospital, Hetty had decided to send in Deeks as a new attorney to gain more intelligence on the law firm. Callen and Sam were currently scourging through evidence, attempting to gain knowledge on Summers herself. "Gain whatever intelligence you can Mr. Deeks. We will be watching out for you."

"I guess that's my cue. Goodbye gentlemen, I know that you both shall be in dire spirits as I shall not be present at our weekly poker session. Please, attempt to control your grief." Deeks told Sam and Callen, who ignored his dramatics and wished him luck. Turning towards Kensi, his eyes sobered and he kissed her forehead, "Be safe Angelfish."

"You as well." Kensi replied, as she pulled him into a hug. "I know that you will just _love_ driving that Porsche around LA."

"You know me so well Princess. I love you." Deeks said, pulling away and walking towards the doors.

"You didn't tell him that you were going in blind?" Sam questioned, as Deeks disappeared and the sound of an engine being gunned filled the air.

"Would you have told Michelle?" Kensi countered, knowing full well that Sam would never want to subject his wife to excess anxiety. Watching Sam shake his head, she slightly smiled and placed something in his hand.

"What's this?" Sam inquired, feeling a cool piece of metal in his palm. Opening his hand he was faced with Kensi's engagement ring. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Tara is not engaged. Take care of it." Kensi answered plainly, and marched towards Hetty to gain any last minute details about the case.

LALALA

"So is there anything else I can get for you Mr. Wells?" Stacy the receptionist asked Deeks, who was organizing his new desk.

"No thank you Stacy, that would be all." Deeks told the young girl, who nodded and left the room. Deeks sighed, booted up his computer and being to look through the various case files that were on his desk. Nothing out of the ordinary, just basic lawsuits, court appeals, etc. The detective was not one to ever properly handle paperwork, but Wells was. So to keep himself occupied before attempting to access the firm's files, Deeks spent the next few hours immersed in papers.

"I've never seen you work so hard here Deeks." Callen's voice commented in Deeks' ear.

"Sure you have, everyday of the week." Deeks replied, happy to have a distraction. "How's Kensi?"

"She just made contact. Everything appears to be quiet so far." Callen declared, lying to Deeks as per Kensi's instructions. "I'll check in with you later."

"Talk to you later." Deeks said, signing off, his gaze returning to the computer.

"Mr. Wells, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I brought you some lunch, I figured you might be hungry." Stacy voiced, knocking slightly at the door to gain Deeks' attention.

"Actually I am rather hungry. Thank you Stacy. And please, call me Brandon." Deeks said smiling at the young girl. Stacy smiled back and for a moment, Deeks was taken aback as to how much she looked like Katie. Clearing his throat, he apologized, "Sorry for staring. You just remind me of someone I know."

"Who's that Mr. Wells? Brandon. Sorry." Stacy mumbled, grinning sheepishly, placing a turkey breast sandwich on Deeks' desk.

"My niece Ali," Deeks lied smoothly, "she's roughly your age. You both have similar smiles and have kind dispositions. She's back in Chicago, I miss her."

"Thank you Brandon. I'm sorry about Ali, I'm sure she misses you too." Stacy told Deeks, as she exited the room, softly closing the door.

"You want me to call Katie for you and find out how she is doing?" Eric quizzed in Deeks' ear, making him slightly jump.

"She knows I'm on assignment. The less she knows about this, the better." Deeks murmured, running a hand through his head, wishing that Kensi were beside him.

LALALA

"We don't need a rogue cop in our operation. Get out before I kill you." Joe snapped at Kensi, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"The hell you don't." Kensi fired back. "You need someone on the inside who knows things. For instance, I can tell you that the LAPD is _all_ over the Summers case. Once that girl wakes up, they will question her and find out why she was targeted. She'll give away your entire operation and you'll be screwed."

"Have you considered that is exactly what we want Ms. Cooper?" a voiced asked from behind her. "Leonardo Gomez, head of this _operation_, as you so eloquently put it. We want Kim Summers to be front-page news. She's already rather famous, going to become a State Judge, or so I've heard. So her testimonials, viewpoints and opinions are all rather important to us."

"Are you head of her local fan club?" Kensi quipped, staring into Leonardo's cold and calculating brown eyes, falling deeper into her alias and rejecting all authority that came with it.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. But like all fans, we get especially upset when we cannot reach our 'star', so we've decided to go with the next best thing. You'll be a part of it, since you are so eager to join." Leonardo declared, fixing his expensive suit and made his way to the doors. Looking over at Collins he added, "Check her background, she may a rogue cop, but she's still that: a cop."

LALALA

"Nell, come here. I think I found something." Eric yelled, Oreos flying across the keyboard.

"Don't let Hetty see those." Callen remarked, watching with amusement as Eric pulled out a handheld vacuum cleaner and began to clean up the crumbs. "You have issues Eric."

"Have you _ever_ experienced the monkey nightmare G Callen? No? Then you don't understand the necessity of this vacuum." Eric retorted, sweeping up the last crumb and turning off the vacuum. "Anyhow, I was looking through Kim Summers' high school education again. And we missed something: her extracurricular activities."

"So she did cheerleading?" Nell inquired skeptically, "I doubt that is important."

"Not cheerleading," Eric stated exasperatedly, "military cadets. She did it throughout her entire high school career, along with the pre-law society and the debate team."

"How is this _at all_ important to the case at hand? Don't start on the importance of a high school education. I've heard the pitch from every foster family that I had." Callen smirked, thoroughly confused as to where Eric's train of thought was going.

"I believe that Mr. Beale is concerned with Ms. Summers' potential standpoint on the military. This might offer a clue as to why she was targeted. Excellent work." Hetty complimented as she strolled into the large room.

"Are you getting all this Deeks?" Callen asked, focusing on his conversation with the detective.

"Loud and clear." Deeks affirmed. "Possible military leanings, looking through the case files, just give me a minute."

"Mr. Beale, while we wait, I would appreciate it if you would clean off your keyboard. Those cookies are making it filthy." Hetty commented, as her eyes locked on Eric who turned red, nodded, and turned on the vacuum once more.

"Got it." Deeks exclaimed, pulling up an old file on the computer, "Kim Summers is definitely pro-military. She was attempting to pass a bill in Congress to increase military spending, boost up our defenses. Once she would be made a State Judge, she would have more of a voice in Washington. Whoever targeted her was clearly against the idea of aiding the military."

"Thanks Deeks, enjoy your paperwork." Callen said, grinning at Deeks' inaudible gasp. "He really hates paperwork. Come on Deeks, I was just kidding. Deeks? Deeks?"

"He's gone." Nell murmured, her eyes widening in fear as she frantically attempting to retrieve a signal from Deeks' earwig.

LALALA

"I suppose this is one way to convince Congress not to a pass a bill; deadly, but effective. I like it." Kensi told to Joe as he explained how several gang members of Chaos went to Summers' law firm to kidnap the CEO, Duke Mayfair and to convince him to lean on various members of Congress to not support Summers.

"It would have been much better to get Summers herself. But like Leonardo said, this is the next best thing." Joe answered, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "Mayfair has half of Congress in his pocket, the man has millions of connections."

"It would appear that our friend has arrived." Kensi sneered, hearing a body being pulled downstairs.

"The next best thing was not available unfortunately. But I've heard rather promising things about this man's future in the legal world. He is also well connected and Mayfair would not allow another employed to be injured. That being said, if he disagrees with us in any manner, he will die." Leonardo grinned as he walked into the room. "Tara, prove to me that you are useful."

"It would be my _honor_ Mr. Gomez." Kensi replied sarcastically, adopting a laid-back stance as she waited for the bag to be pulled off the captive's head. She mentally flinched as the bag was removed, revealing a bloody and bruised Deeks.

LALALA- PRESENT

"Deeks! Are you okay? Answer me!" Kensi cried, dropping the gun as smoke billowed into the room, the NCIS SWAT team following after.

"I'm alright, just shaken." Deeks gasped, pulling Kensi into a fierce hug. "I love you."

"Sorry about taking that shot so suddenly," Sam said, "but had a chance. I needed to take it."

"No worries Sam." Kensi smiled, relief etched in her mismatched eyes. "Thank you for saving him."

"It was my pleasure. This is yours, by the way." Sam told her, offering Kensi back her engagement ring.

"Thank you." Kensi smiled, placing the ring back on her finger. "I felt so weird not having it on, like a part of me was lost somehow."

"Ready to go home Angelfish?" Deeks inquired, his breathing returning to normal.

"Yes, definitely." Kensi answered, helping him walk towards the door.

LALALA

Hi! How's everyone? Amazing NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles episodes this week! I know that this update was different than the others but they _are_ special agents, so cases like this do happen. I plan on addressing Kensi and Deeks' emotional standpoints and the overall effect of the case in my next update ("Aftermath"), hence as to why it wasn't fully discussed here. Also, after the next update, I think we're back to lighter material. I have a probable wedding date set as well, it won't be for a while, but just to let you all know. You guys are awesome and your reviews are absolutely wonderful! Thank you! Thank you!


	20. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always.

The night sky was illuminated by thousands of stars, with the brightest light source coming from the moon. Deeks stroked Azure's soft fur as the puppy contently lay on the floor. He couldn't sleep. The scene within the basement kept flashing through his mind every time he closed his eyes. After trying for hours in vain to fall asleep, he simply gave up, lightly kissed a sleeping Kensi's forehead and went to the living room. He had been in life and death situations before, so what made this time so different? In his heart of hearts, he knew why: it was Kensi holding the weapon. Although he knew she had no other option, the idea of the love of his life holding a gun to his head, about to pull the trigger, completely unnerved him. He needed to talk to someone, someone who would understand why he felt _so_ unhinged. Not wanting to disturb Kensi, he wrote a quick letter, placed it on the floor and softly shut the door. After driving around the darkened streets of Los Angeles, he finally arrived at his destination. The detective closed the car door and walked up to the house, where the porch light shone.

"Callen? Callen? Can you open up?" Deeks called, quietly knocking on the door.

"Deeks? Why are you at my house?" Callen asked as he opened the door and let the blond man inside.

"Would you believe I would like to play poker at 2am?" Deeks asked, sitting on Callen's sofa.

"Only if I was really stupid." Callen replied, cracking open a beer and handing it to Deeks. "Why are you really here?"

Deeks took a breath before answering the Senior Agent, "Today unnerved me. It's not the idea of being in such a situation. But the issue is having Kensi be the one holding the gun to me head, it's just _wrong_. The only other person who would have such an effect on me would be Katie or her family. I know she didn't have anything else to go on, in the moment, but I feel as though something between us has shattered: something along the lines of an innate level of loyalty and love. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No I understand you," Callen answered, causing Deeks to look up from his beer, "I felt the same way when I thought that Hetty was behind the murder of my mother and extended family. You put your faith into someone, that person does what he or she deemed to be the right thing, but that action has consequences. And you suffer because of it. I carried that betrayal with me for a while because I wasn't able to properly open up to Hetty about it. But let me tell you something Deeks, not discussing your standpoint in that type of situation is the worst thing you can do. I'm not one to run my mouth, but you have to get everything out in the open."

There was a long pause between the two men as the fire crackled away, casting shadows onto the walls and ceiling. Deeks closed his eyes, trying to reflect on Callen's advice. He didn't want a case like this to form a wedge between himself and Kensi. This was a part of the job and he had to come to terms with it. "Do you ever look at Hetty and feel that way again?"

"No, I learned to overcome that sense of betrayal and loneliness. It took a while but I got there. I imagine it will be easier for you because Kensi is your fiancée, and not your boss. It will make you a better man in the long run, I can tell you that much." Callen said, placing a slice of pizza before Deeks.

"True. It all comes with the territory, thanks Callen." Deeks said, biting into the pizza.

LALALA

About two hours later, Deeks pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. He felt oddly energized, despite the late hour and running on no sleep. He unlocked the front door and was met with a visibly upset Kensi. "What's wrong?" Deeks immediately asked, guiding her towards the sofa.

"What's wrong? Are you serious?" Kensi all but yelled. "I wake up and you're not in bed. You left me a note saying 'Went for a drive', and didn't return for hours. And you didn't answer your phone. I thought something happened to you. Don't you know that you can't be unreachable in this line of work? You're not just my partner Deeks; you're the love of my life. And I can't handle-"

"I'm sorry." Deeks interjected, wiping the tears off of her cheeks, "I went to talk to Callen. And I left my phone at OSP, it was stupid of me and I apologize."

"Callen?" Kensi sniffled, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, "Why did you have to talk to Callen in the middle of the night?"

"Because he would understand my situation. Look, Kensi, what I'm about to tell isn't all that great. But please, I ask you to remember that I love you and this is in no way a goodbye. Can you do that?"

"Yes." Kensi answered, looking down and playing with a string on the blanket.

"Kensi," Deeks said, lifting her chin up and staring into her mismatched eyes, "I know that response. I am not abandoning you, you have my word; I love you far too much. This is something that I have to express to you. Will you let me Princess?"

"Okay," Kensi replied, intently looking at her fiancé, "I'm listening."

"You held a gun to my head, and I was sure it was the last thing I was going to see. I know you had no choice, Angelfish, but it now feels like something broke between us. It feels as though the trust is gone, and I wanted to tell you how I felt so this doesn't create problems later on." Deeks told her, pausing to let the information sink in.

Minutes went by and Deeks was sure Kensi feel asleep before she finally spoke, "I was terrified when that bag was pulled off your head. And Leonardo was taunting me to take the shot. My only thoughts were that I was ending your life and the last thing that you would ever see was your fiancé pulling the trigger. It was soul-crushing Deeks. I don't think I've ever felt was helpless in my entire life. In that moment, right before the NCIS team came, I wished it were me in your place. I'd rather die than see you in pain." Kensi's eyes overflowed with tears as she finished speaking and she fiercely grabbed Deeks and pulled him to her. They could have sat in that position for hours, she wasn't sure, but eventually she pulled away. "You are my everything Mary Deeks. And the fact that I caused you pain or to doubt _us_ is almost unbearable. I wish I never infiltrated that gang, then none of this would have happened."

"You had no choice Kensi. I do understand that. I love you more than anything. I would do anything, give anything, be anything, to make you happy." Deeks murmured, stroking her hair, feeling an odd sense of calm, despite the emotion-laden conversation. "We'll be alright."

"One day at time." Kensi smiled, as she pulled a blanket over the pair, and the morning sunrise bathed the room in peaceful glow.

LALALA

Hi guys! How amazing was NCIS and NCIS: LA? Deeks kissed Kensi! I actually screamed in excitement. I know that this chapter was a bit heavy but I wanted to express their emotions related to what happened previously. Kensi's abandonment issues and Deeks' trust issue were front and center, as I thought that these childhood traumas would affect their conversation. But have no fear everyone everything will be ok. Look for "Invitations" next week; I'll be possibly dropping the date of the DENSI wedding within that update. Thank you again for your reviews! Please, please, please keep them coming! I love hearing what you guys think! Thank you!


	21. Invitations

**Invitations**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

Kensi awoke before her alarm clock but did not stir. She opened her eyes and was greeted with the sleeping face of her fiancé. Deeks' mouth was open; his blond hair tangled about his face and his nose was silently twitching. Smiling slightly, Kensi deemed this to be a good sign, he was subconsciously healing from the gun incident. She brushed a curl from his forehead and his eyes opened. Blinking in the sunlight, Deeks smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry I woke you."

"It's not a problem Princess, we can surf longer. I, for one, am interested as to how your surfing skills have progressed." Deeks murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

"You don't want to sleep longer?" Kensi asked, her eyes focused on his handsome face.

"I'd rather see you in reality and not my dreams, Kensi. I guess that's happiness, wanting reality more than dreams." Deeks replied, his blue eyes shining.

"You're too good for me, you know that right?" Kensi said, as she slipped out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.

"It's definitely the other way around." Deeks commented, stretching his legs and proceeded to look for his wetsuit.

"It's already in the car!" Kensi called, her voice muffled from the running water.

"How did you possibly know what I was looking for?" Deeks questioned, briefly wondering if Kensi had become psychic.

"Because I know _you_." Kensi answered, as she walked out of the bathroom, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Let's hang ten dude."

LALALA

"Hailey, I'm begging you, just put your school uniform on." Callen implored to the little girl who was stubbornly standing the kitchen, not moving a muscle.

"Daddy and Mommy say that I don't have to go to school when they're not here." Hailey retorted, a mischievous glint in her dark eyes.

"Really?" Callen asked her, earning a nod in response. "Well you know what kid? I believe you."

"Really?" Hailey echoed, looking as if Christmas had come early.

"I really, really, _don't_." Callen said, smiling as the grin was wiped from Hailey's face. "Your Daddy and Mommy gave me a list to follow, and going to school was the first point written."

"That's an _old_ list Uncle G, like ancient." Hailey told him, clearly grasping at straws but fighting to say home nonetheless.

"How do you figure that Hailey?" Callen inquired, making a mental note to tell Sam that his daughter would be an excellent lawyer in the future.

"Well it's _hand-written_. Everyone knows that you use computers now. Sometimes I think that Daddy is right when he says you're old." Hailey replied, examining her nails, not unlike Michelle.

"Your Daddy said that? What else did he say?" Callen questioned, pausing as he opened the door to the fridge.

"Nothing! Nothing else. I'm going to get my uniform on now." Hailey called, dashing up the stairs towards her bedroom.

Shaking his head and grinning, Callen continued to make breakfast for the girl as he was on babysitting duty as Sam and Michelle were away on a joint mission. He truly enjoyed the time that he spent with Sam's daughter. Hailey, and all the other kids that were out there, made what he did on a daily basis worthwhile. It was his job to ultimately protect the next generation against things that went bump in the night. Hearing Hailey's footsteps coming down the stairs, he set a plate of toast and jams in front of her chair and a glass of orange juice beside it.

"Thanks Uncle G." Hailey said politely as she began to eat her breakfast.

"No problem kid." Callen responded, drinking his coffee and feeling it energize him.

"Hey Uncle G?" Hailey began, after a few minutes of silence. "Can we can ice cream after school?

"Sure, we'll definitely get ice cream." Callen smiled, biting into a piece of toast.

Nodding happily, Hailey commented, "Can I tell Daddy about how you dressed up like Professor Lupin?"

"That stays between us Hailey. I don't think your Daddy would ever take me seriously again if he knew that." Callen sighed, mentally shaking Sam's laughing face out of his head.

LALALA

"You've got pseudo mad skills now Kensi." Deeks complimented, shaking the water out of his hair.

"I'm sorry, pseudo mad? They're plain mad. Actually no, they're mad squared." Kensi quipped, toweling herself off.

"Maybe in Kensi-land babe. But in the in the real world, they're still pseudo. But don't worry, you'll get there." Deeks retorted, secretly thrilled that they were back to bickering with each other.

"I think you're talented Kensi, you just have to practice more," a voice interjected from behind them.

Whipping around, a huge smile appeared on Deeks' face, "Katie, as I live and breath. How are you?"

"Charming greeting Marty," Katie countered, pulling Deeks into a hug, "I'm fine thank you. But, might I ask, what the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

"That's a loaded question." Deeks grinned, earning a dead arm from Katie. "Who taught you to hit like that?"

"Your fiancée. But back to the point: you always call me when you get back from undercover mission, this time you didn't. Care to share?" Katie interrogated, her blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"It was a bit messy," Deeks said carefully, "but I'm here now, so that's all that matters."

"I was worried about you. So were Mom and Dad. Mom was about to organize a search party and Dad was all up in arms because it was _your_ turn to buy the beer and fridge was empty." Katie muttered as she pulled him into another hug, squeezing him tightly.

"The man has his priorities in order." Deeks commented, earning a glare from Kensi, who was silently watching the whole exchange. "Okay, I'm sorry, next time I'll call."

"That's all I ask." Katie said, unlocking her arms and releasing the detective.

"Deeks," Kensi spoke suddenly, "why don't you tell Katie what we talked about on the way to the beach?"

"Excellent idea, Angelfish." Deeks grinned, pulling Kensi towards him. "Katie, don't plan anything for July 5th."

Katie's eyes widened slightly and glistened with unshed tears, "Of course not. I can't wait."

LALALA

"Hopefully the criminals will take July 5th off. I don't want to be running around Los Angeles in a suit." Eric commented after receiving the wedding invitation, silently playing with Nell's fingers under the keyboard.

"Eric, you rarely leave OSP. I think your odds of running around in a suit are slim to none." Nell replied, grinning at her boyfriend.

"Don't worry Eric, if anyone will have to be James Bond, it'll be me. I'll gladly take one for the team." Deeks interrupted, marching into the room with Kensi.

"You think you're Bond Deeks?" Callen laughed, walking in soon after the pair. "If anyone is Bond, it's definitely me. Bond could be based on my life."

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Deeks, is this the time and the place to be discussing your lives being potentially adapted into film?" Hetty questioned, staring up at her team.

"No," Deeks began, "but it's my wedding! I should be Bond."

"_Your_ wedding?" Kensi asked, turning and unblinkingly starting at the detective.

"Our wedding, Kensi. Our wedding. I misspoke." Deeks apologized, looking sheepishly at the Special Agent.

"I predict that a healthy dose of chaos will occur during your wedding." Hetty said, and without missing a beat reaching into a cabinet, pulling out a bag of Oreos, and throwing them into the garbage. "Really, Mr. Beale, when will you learn?"

"Never." Eric replied meekly, putting files up on the big screen.

"As long as you're my wife after all that chaos happens, nothing else will matter." Deeks whispered into Kensi's ear, causing her blush.

"I can't wait." Kensi responded, intertwining her fingers with his.

LALALA

Hello all! First off, thank you to those who reviewed! I seriously cannot thank you enough. Secondly, if you didn't review, please take the time to do so. I don't know if you guys like where I'm taking this if I don't have any comments. Lastly, look forward to next week's update: "Flowers". Have a good weekend!


	22. Flowers

**Flowers**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

"Thank you Wyatt, they're absolutely beautiful." Katie beamed as she admired the flowers. Pulling the younger Beale into a quick kiss, she asked. "Where did you get them?"

"A magician does not reveal his secrets." Wyatt declared, earning a look of confusion from Katie. "Wait for it."

Minutes went by and Katie kept staring at the arrangement as if waiting for it to explode like a grenade. Suddenly, without warning, a box of Sprinkles cupcakes appeared right on Katie's lap. Grinning widely, Katie opened the box, selected a red velvet cupcake and began to devour it. "Best cupcakes _ever_. You're amazing, thank you."

"It was no trouble milady." Wyatt replied as he offered Katie his arm and the pair stood up and began to walk down the pier. The sun was slowly travelling west over Los Angeles and was casting golden shadows across the ocean. A soft breeze rustled around the couple, causing Katie's hair to become windswept. A certain stubborn strain kept tickling her face and after a few moments of pulling ridiculous facial expressions, Wyatt pushed the offending strain behind her ear. "Sometimes you have the most hilarious expressions on your face. The best is when a professor says something during rotation and you have no idea what is going on. You get this deer-in-the-headlights look mixed with a how-do-I-not-know-this look."

"Glad I amuse you." Katie smiled as she closed her eyes and paused to breath in the sea air. After opening her eyes she unexpectedly found Wyatt standing right in front, looking into her eyes. "What's up?"

"I love you Katie." Wyatt told the brunette, who looked utterly shocked and stood frozen in place. "Katie? Katie? Catherine!"

Katie jumped at the sound of her full name and seemingly broke out of her trance. Opening her mouth, she tried to speak but words failed her. Wyatt's expression morphed from happy, to confused, to stunned and finally, to brokenhearted. "I guess you don't feel the same way. Goodbye." Wyatt told her, walking swiftly down the pier, leaving Katie alone.

LALALA

"Deeks! We're late. Azure has to go to the veterinarian for a check-up and the man is not cheap. I still don't understand why you choose the _last_ possible appointment. Let's get a move on." Kensi called to Deeks who ran out of the bathroom, pulling on a fresh t-shirt in the process.

"I'm coming Angelfish! It _does_ take effort to look perfection. Some of us aren't born looking amazing you know." Deeks called, scooping up Azure in the process. The puppy excitedly squirmed in her master's arm, causing Deeks to press a kiss on her head before placing her in the backseat.

"That puppy has more energy than you." Kensi commented as she buckled her seatbelt. "She could power a nuclear generator."

"Quite true Kensi my dearest. This is why I think our puppy is great. Sorry, one second, Katie is calling. What's going on little sister?" Deeks said into the cell phone, a look of bemusement covered his face when in response her heard sobbing. "What's wrong Katie?"

"Wyatt left me." Katie finally managed to say through a wave of tears as she sat shivering on the pier.

"Where are you?" Deeks interrupted, sharing a look of pain with Kensi as Katie's sobs were heard through the phone.

"Santa Monica Pier." Katie replied, playing with one of the flowers, a reminder of her broken relationship.

"I'm on my way." Deeks assured as he hung up. "Wyatt left Katie at Santa Monica Pier. I have to help her, I'm sorry that I cannot come to the vet."

"Take my car." Kensi smiled as she kissed him goodbye and watched him run towards her car, start the engine and drive away.

LALALA

Deeks arrived at Santa Monica Pier, threw some coins into the parking meter and ran towards the boardwalk. Dodging countless tourists and families, he searched for Katie. He made his way towards the end of the pier when he finally saw her: Katie was sitting on a bench munching on a lone cupcake with a bouquet of flowers at her feet. Deeks ran up to her and without a word, gathered her into his arms. Tears freely covered his shirt as he held his little sister close to him. Noting that she was quite cool to the touch, Deeks covered her with his jacket. She quietly mumbled a thank you while offering the detective a cupcake. Deeks happily accepted and began to lick the vanilla frosting off of the small cake. Minutes later, Katie pulled herself out of Deeks' arms, causing his heart to break into pieces. Katie's face was blotchy and covered in tears. The slight amount of make-up that was originally covering her eyes was smeared and her hair was tangled after having run her hands through it as she normally did in stressful situations. Offering her a tissue and fixing her hair into a ponytail like he did when she was a child, Deeks waited for an explanation.

"He said he loved me." Katie finally said, dabbing her eyes. "And I just stood there, frozen, like the biggest idiot in the world."

"Let me stop you _right_ there Katie. You are many things, a touch sarcastic for example, but you are _not_ an idiot. Do you understand me?" Deeks demanded, holding her gaze with his own.

"Yes," Katie replied, picking at a loose thread on Deeks' jacket, "I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked. No one has ever said that they love me before. And Wyatt didn't even give me a chance to explain, he just left."

"That's his loss." Deeks soothed, running his fingers through her hair, "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Eric about this."

"That's alright." Katie answered, "But before you do, I wanted to say thank you. You didn't have to come here."

"For you, always." Deeks told her with a smile, as he turned to face the ocean, calling Eric.

LALALA

Meanwhile, back at OSP, Nell and Eric were locked in an epic showdown playing Call of Duty of the big screen.

"How awesome is this?" Eric screamed out, his fingers skimming across the controller.

"So awesome that I _just_ killed you." Nell grinned, watching Eric's screen go blank.

"Cheater." Eric laughed, pausing the screen to answer his phone, which was ringing on the table beside him. "Hello?"

"Eric, it's Deeks. Wyatt broke up with Katie, left her on the Pier in tears. He told her that he loved her and she froze. She wasn't trying to hurt him but I'm sure you know a bit of her history, she's never had anyone tell her they love her. She was the kid that was always cast aside by her peers. She was shocked and didn't know how to respond." Deeks said rapidly, hoping Eric would get the message to talk to Wyatt before he did.

"I'll call him right away. I'm sorry, this is typical Wyatt: he can be so impulsive and stubborn sometimes it's ridiculous. He has a bit of a problem giving people time to process matters. Tell Katie I love her." Eric told the detective before hanging up.

"What happened?" Nell asked, wary of the look of anger on her boyfriend's face.

"My brother is about to get an earful. He told Katie he loved her and she was rather shocked, didn't answer right away and he left. Stupid." Eric answered, his fingers tapping against the keyboard in agitation. "Wyatt! What the hell is your deal? You left her on the Pier alone. Don't you have any manners? Hell, not even manners, common sense."

"Do you even _know_ what happened?" Wyatt retorted, running a hair through his blond hair.

"Yes I do actually. And to save you a rather long speech, I'll tell you what I was told. Katie didn't know how to respond, she's never had someone admit that to her. And you, being a complete ass, leave her and not give her a minute to reply. Have you considered that maybe she feels the same way? Although now you'll never know because you did what you do best and left without getting the full story." Eric lectured, upon hearing silence on the other line for a few moments, he thought that their conversation was disconnected. "Wyatt?"

"I'm here." Wyatt breathed, running his hand through his hair again, "I screwed up."

"Badly." Eric agreed, rocking back and forth in his chair. "But you can fix it."

"Think she'll have me back?" Wyatt inquired of his older brother.

"There's only one way to find out." Eric told him, before hanging up. "Round two Nell, bring it."

LALALA

"Those are nice flowers, you know." Deeks said, putting up the bouquet and placing it on the bench. "The roses are beautiful."

"You should get Kensi a bouquet, she would love it." Katie smiled, cuddling into Deeks' side for worth. "By the way, you hair styling skills haven't gone downhill. I'm impressed."

"As you should be kid sister, as you should be. I think you're right about the flowers though. There's a guy selling them further down the Pier, mind if I go?" Deeks questioned.

"Go for it." Katie grinned as she turned to look at the setting sun. She couldn't have been alone for more than five minutes when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Wyatt standing before her, looking thoroughly foolish and upset.

"I'm sorry," Wyatt began, kneeling in front of her, "I didn't give you a chance to say anything. And I left like a moron. I should have known that this would have come as a shock to you. I'm sorry for hurting you Katie, and if you don't want to take me back after what happened, I completely understand."

"Don't be so dramatic Wyatt, this isn't a daytime soap opera" Katie teased, before her eyes turned serious, "But next time, give me a chance to explain myself before you run off thinking that I don't feel the same way, because I _do_ love you too, Wyatt Beale. And I'm sorry about being weird when you told me, I just never thought I would hear those words."

"I'll tell you those words whenever you want to hear them." Wyatt murmured before pulling her into a kiss.

LALALA

"Can I have that bouquet of red roses please?" Deeks asked the elderly man, placing a $50 bill in his hand. "Keep the change."

"Thank you sir." The man smiled, "I'm sure that the lady will love you gift. You have a kind heart."

"I couldn't agree more." Kensi voiced, walking up along the Pier. "He is pretty amazing."

"Kensi!" Deeks yelped, attempting to hide the flowers behind his back, "How did you know to come here?"

"You think I wouldn't know that you would still be here. Come on Shaggy, think." Kensi smiled, before taking the flowers into her arms, "They're absolutely incredible. Thank you."

"It's no problem Angelfish." Deeks told his fiancée, pulling into her a kiss. After a few seconds he pulled away and faced the flower salesman, "Sorry I didn't get your name."

"It's Robert, son. My wife, Sally, grows the flowers in our greenhouse and I sell them. It's not bad for retirement living." Robert answered, shaking the couple's hands as they introduced themselves.

"I wanted to ask you Robert, would you be at all interested to be our florist for our wedding. As you can see, Kensi _loves_ your flowers." Deeks said, intertwining his hands with hers.

"It would be an honor, Marty." Robert replied pulling the pair into a hug, "You two deserve the only the best."

After they had organized which and how many flowers they wanted for the wedding, Kensi and Deeks thanked Robert, exchanged phone numbers and said their goodbyes. "That was a really amazing thing you did just there." Kensi mentioned, as they walked down the pier.

"He and his wife deserve it, you have to help others sometimes or the world can be a sad place. Speaking of helping, Katie texted me saying that Eric knocked some sense into Wyatt and that everything is ok now." Deeks said quietly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

"Again, you're just amazing." Kensi repeated, kissing the love of her life.

LALALA

Hi! You guys, thank you so much for your reviews! I couldn't be more thrilled when I saw them all! I completely appreciate them from the bottom of my heart. Please keep them coming! I hope that you all liked this chapter; it's actually one of my favorites that I've written so far. I also wanted to mention that I have final exams coming up. I'll try my best to post weekly updates as per usual, but if I do randomly skip a week, please forgive me! Look out for the next update: "Breakfast". Have an amazing weekend!


	23. Breakfast

**Breakfast**

DISCLAIMER AND CHARACTER OWNERSHIP: same as always

The rising sun shone through the curtains and bathed the room in a soft golden glow. The sounds of the waves of the Pacific Ocean could be heard faintly in the background. Azure and Monty were curled up together on the floor, occasionally twitching their legs as dreams passed through their minds. Deeks was sleeping softly on his side, his blond hair in complete disarray and the duvet curled between his legs. Kensi was enjoying this quiet morning from her current vantage point within the kitchen. Knowing that Deeks couldn't sleep the night before due to his constant worry over Katie, Kensi decided to surprise him for breakfast. Not wanting to hear about the potential safety hazards involving her cooking, Kensi got into her car and drove to her favorite diner in Los Angeles: Carlo's. The streets of the City of Angels were relatively peaceful for a Saturday morning as Kensi turned off of the highway ramp and towards the small road where the diner was located. Turning off the engine, she locked her car and walked inside.

"Kensi! Darling! How are you?" a voice greeted her. Turning around, Kensi saw the person who she considered a surrogate mother, Dorothy. The older women had met Kensi while she lived on the streets as a teenager. Kensi had once stalked into Carlo's with every intention to steal some leftovers and run, but Dorothy sat her down and forced Carlo, her husband, to make a meal for the runaway. Kensi didn't know what to make of the situation at the time, but she slowly began to visit the diner more frequently, getting acquainted with the owner and his wife.

"I'm good Dorothy, just come in for a breakfast run. I want to surprise Deeks." Kensi told her, smiling slightly.

"How is that fiancé of yours? I haven't seen him for _ages_. Not since that time you introduced us back in February, you know, the day after Valentine's." Dorothy beamed, prepping the coffee maker.

Blushing, Kensi replied, "He's doing alright thank you. Although now I'm starting to question if I should have introduced him at all, never mind telling you that he proposed."

"I personally like the boy, he's got a good head on his shoulders." Carlo stated his brown eyes sparkling, walking in from the backroom and pulling Kensi into a hug.

"Of course you like him, you two spent a solid half hour discussing the pros and cons of every type of bikini style in the _world_." Kensi retorted, looking over at Dorothy who simply shook her head.

"Like I said," Carlo repeated, "nice boy, good head, good shoulders. Thank you for the wedding invitation by the way, Kensi. You know that Dorothy and I wouldn't' miss it."

"I'm happy you guys will make it." Kensi answered, as she read over the menu, "I'll just have my usual and three chocolate chip waffles for Deeks."

"I don't understand your obsession with that B.L.T sandwich, my dear. But give me 15 minutes." Carlo said, disappearing into the kitchen, grabbing a spatula on his way.

"Forty years together and I still haven't killed him yet. That is what you call self-control." Dorothy smiled, placing a menu in front of a couple that just walked into the door.

"You love him too much to even _consider_ murder." Kensi smirked, playing with a napkin on the counter.

"That I do. Carlo and I are lucky to have found each other. Just like you and Marty. Soul mates, Kensi. People wish that they the kind of love you two have for each other." Dorothy commented as she made her way towards the couple that was ready to order.

"Right once again my darling. See that Kensi? She's _always_ right. It's absolutely incredible." Carlo chuckled placing the take-out bag in front of the brunette. "Tell Marty I say hello."

"Thank you both." Kensi smiled, offering them both a quick hug before leaving.

LALALA

"Azure? Where's Kensi? Where's Kensi, girl? Has she pulled a Timmy and you have to be Lassie the Wonderdog and save her?" Deeks questioned the puppy as Kensi walked through the door around thirty minutes later.

"You're totally confusing her." Kensi commented, "This poor dog is going to be driven to insanity sooner than later."

"Not true Princess, for Azure knows _exactly_ what I'm talking about. Don't you, girl?" Deeks asked the dog, who simply whined and placed her food bowl in front of him. "Work with me, would you?"

"Why don't you feed her and then come and have breakfast with me? Fresh waffles made by Carlo." Kensi sang, waving the bag in front of Deeks.

"You had me at waffles." Deeks stated before placing some dry food into Azure and Monty's bowls and running towards the table, eager to start his breakfast.

"You're quite easy to motivate, you know that right?" Kensi said conversationally, placing a large spoonful of whipped cream on Deeks' waffles.

"Only if you're doing the motivating Princess." Deeks answered, pulling her into a kiss.

LALALA

"I'll give you a chocolate chip cookie if you can lick your elbow Uncle G." Hailey declared as she, Sam and Callen sat in the café together, awaiting their breakfast order.

"I'm not licking my elbow Hailey. You must be really bored with your Mom being gone so long." Callen told the girl, drinking his coffee silently.

Sighing as if she had seen better days, Hailey nodded, "Well yeah, of course. No one is playing dolls with me."

"What happened to Harry Potter?" Sam asked his daughter, who fixed him with an incredulous stare.

"Harry Potter is the coolest, Daddy, duh. But it'd be nice to have a girl around to play dolls with me. Wait! What about Katie? She likes Harry Potter and I love her hair. It's so long and pretty. Think she'd let me braid it?" Hailey inquired rapidly, abandoning her drawing.

Pausing to imagine Katie's hair in complete disarray following Hailey's makeover, Callen answered, "Well I don't know if she would let you braid her hair. But I think she _could_ play dolls or watch Harry Potter with you."

"Great!" Hailey exclaimed and began to draw again. After a few minutes she looked up at Callen, "Can you lick your elbow _now_ Uncle G?

"I don't see a sheep with that farmhouse Hailey." Callen answered easily before turning back to Sam. "Elbow licking?"

"I let her watch this show on TV with all these double-jointed people and fire-eaters, it's my fault. You're lucky she hasn't asked you to place your leg behind your head." Sam sighed, his face lighting up when he saw the waitress bringing their order. "Thank you. What do you say Hailey?"

"Thank you for breakfast." Hailey smiled at the waitress. "Can you make yourself into a pretzel?"

LALALA

Hours later, Deeks had taken the opportunity of Kensi napping to slip away and drive to Carlo's. Parking the car, he entered the diner which was just finishing its lunch rush. "Marty Deeks! To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dorothy called, placing some silverware into a drawer.

"Hi Dorothy, hey Carlo!" Deeks yelled towards the kitchen, receiving a wave from Carlo in reply. "I wanted to ask you guys something. The very first time Kensi took me here; she told me that your Royal Chocolate Cake was like a little slice of heaven. Anyway, without a doubt, it _is_ like a little slice of heaven. What I wanted to ask was would you guys mind to make the wedding cake? It's really not going to be a large wedding, just close friends and family, as you know. We haven't decided on a cake but I know it would mean the world to Kensi if you guys baked it for her."

"We would be honored Marty." Dorothy responded, her green eyes slightly glazed over. "You have our word that Kensi will love this cake."

"Thank you Dorothy." Deeks said, pulling the older woman into a hug. "Hey Carlo, did you catch that swimsuit modeling show from Paris? I swear man, the French do it right."

"You got that right Marty." Carlo affirmed, dodging the rag that we being thrown at his head. "Shall we discuss it another time? I feel as though my wife is a _tad_ upset."

"Alright, see you Carlo. Thank you Dorothy." Deeks smiled as he exited the diner. Sensing his phone vibrating, he answered the call, "Hi Princess. Miss me already?"

"Of course I do." Kensi whispered, her voice muffled with sleep. "Where did you go?"

"Just to buy some chicken for dinner tonight. I'll be home soon." Deeks said, secretly thrilled to see Kensi's reaction on their wedding day. "I love you more."

"I love you more." Kensi replied before hanging up and pulling the blanket over her head as she fell back asleep.

LALALA

Hi! I'm so sorry I didn't update last week guys! My exam that was this Tuesday was crazy to study for but I had some time to write this chapter for this week. I'll hopefully update next week as well ("Game Night") but my last exam, which is towards the end of June, is a doozy. I'll try my best though! Also, I was thinking the other day of possibly writing a short spin-off this summer, involving how Deeks met Katie and how they interacted together when she was a kid. What do you all think about that? Lastly, thank you all _so_ much for your reviews! I broke the 100-review mark and it's all because of _you_ guys! You're all amazing! Thank you!


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